Hurricane Milton deals big blow to citrus industry in Florida
TALLAHASSEE - Damage from Hurricane Milton is driving down citrus production from what was already expected to be a historic low in the current growing season, according to a federal report released Tuesday.
And with supply reduced, this in turn may lead to higher prices at markets, depending on how much consumers want to pay more, according to experts.
An updated forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Florida is projected to produce enough oranges to fill 12 million 90-pound boxes, 3 million less than expected before Milton, which is 20%. The industry produced 17.96 million boxes of oranges during the 2023-2024 season, which ended in July, is about a third more than the projections for this year.
Similarly, the new forecast reduced expected production numbers for grapefruit and specialty crops, such as tangerines and tangelos. Milton swept across the heart of the citrus industry in October.
"It definitely had an effect," U.S. Department of Agriculture State Statistician Mark Hudson said Tuesday in releasing the updated numbers.
Prices for orange juice concentrate and oranges are near record highs, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate was reported to be $4.23, an increase of nearly 50% from 2020.
"With the existing supply shortage, prices are experiencing an upward trend, exacerbated by the backdrop of already high inflation rates," according to a University of Florida study in 2023.
Orange harvesting season typically begins as early as the fall and lasts through the spring but is dependent on weather conditions year-round.
The citrus industry, which has long struggled with deadly citrus greening disease, development pressures, foreign competition and damage from other hurricanes, faces the smallest harvest this season in more than a century.
Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower from Wauchula, said he expected the new forecast to be "pretty dismal." He said he will support the industry in the Legislature.
"Pretty much everybody that I spend time with back home grows something for a living, mostly citrus and cattle," Albritton said Tuesday. "So, I believe in the industry, part of it's in my DNA. Quite frankly, citrus is in the DNA of Florida. So, I fully intend … to support the industry as a whole."
Albritton's groves were severely affected by the storm, which made landfall Oct. 9 in Sarasota County before crossing the state. He said his crop for this season, which will run through June, has already been deemed lost to Hurricane Milton.
"We had several of our groves that were damaged so heavily that there is not enough fruit to harvest," Albritton said.