Citrus acreage in Florida is expected to be lower in 2008 than at any time since official records began in 1966 according to a report from the US Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.
A total of 233,500ha were planted this year, down from the 251,300ha that were harvested in 2007. Of this, oranges make up around 201,000ha, grapefruit another 23,000ha and speciality fruit 9,300ha.
The report blames disease such as citrus greening and canker, pressure from real estate development and the after-effects of a series of damaging hurricanes for the fall.
The report does not distinguish fresh and processed acreage, but Andrew Meadows, director of communications for Florida Citrus Mutual, said the fall in planted area was likely to have affected fresh and processed markets proportionally. Approximately 90 per cent of the citrus grown in the state currently goes to processing markets.
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