This news release concerning this mornings citrus crop forecast from USDA is provided by Florida Citrus Mutual…
LAKELAND, Fla. (April 9, 2010) –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased its April orange crop forecast for the 2009-2010 season by 600,000 boxes. Florida is now expected to produce 131.6 million boxes of oranges.
“As the season heads into the stretch run we are starting to get a clearer picture of the effect the January freeze had on our crop,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “Overall we came through in decent shape and with the bloom coming out the industry is starting to think about next year.”
Visit nass.usda.gov for the complete USDA estimate. The USDA makes its initial forecast in October and then revises it monthly until the end of the season in July.
The USDA’s grapefruit estimate inched up 200,000 boxes to 19 million.
The entire orange increase came in early and midseason varieties which grew to 68.6 million boxes. The projection for Valencias stayed at 63 million boxes. For Florida specialty fruit, the USDA’s tangelo estimate stayed at 900,000 boxes while tangerines increased slightly to 4.1 million boxes.
The all variety yield for frozen concentrated orange juice rose from 1.53 gallons per 90-pound box to 1.56 gallons. The Valencia yield increased from 1.58 to 1.65.
The Florida citrus industry creates a $9 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 76,000 people, and covering more than 576,000 acres. Founded in 1948 and currently representing nearly 8,000 grower members, Florida Citrus Mutual is the state’s largest citrus grower organization. For more information, visit www.flcitrusmutual.com.