John R. Smith: Florida Citrus Industry Faces Grave Danger
Florida produces a third of America’s orange production and 42% of grapefruit production. Up until 2021, our state was the largest grower of oranges and grapefruit in the nation, creating an economic impact of $7 billion. Currently, we are the second largest citrus producer, which includes oranges, grapefruits, tangerines, tangelos, and fruit juices.
Now for the “WOW” news: Florida’s total citrus production has decreased 90% in the last two decades! Florida TaxWatch reports that the 2022-23 season was the worst production season in the past century. And the current season is projected to show a 33% drop from last season.
Why? What’s the reason for this dramatic decline? The two main culprits currently are citrus diseases and hurricanes. Prior to that, freezes killed large swaths of trees.
The worst and deadliest of the diseases is “citrus greening”, spread by an Asian insect that eats up the nourishment needed by trees, resulting in smaller fruit and fewer numbers. There is no cure for complete eradication. 75% of the reduction in the state’s citrus production is caused by citrus greening. In 2012 alone, Florida’s economy lost $2.6 billion in revenue due to greening.
The State of Florida has spent many tens of millions of dollars on citrus disease projects, but growers and farmers contend there is not much hope to end citrus greening completely.
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Prior to the greening disaster, the citrus industry was hit by other destructive diseases, says TaxWatch. Also, the industry was hit by tremendous hurricane losses, in one case losing 120 million boxes in six weeks from four hurricanes. The University of Florida found that Hurricanes Irma and Ian caused losses of $490 million and $247 million, respectively.
Florida also went through frequent freezes, which killed large numbers of citrus trees across the state. This forced citrus groves out of business. Then we saw the advent of citrus canker, which creates small lesions on citrus fruits and also caused citrus trees to die and healthy trees to be cut down and burned if they were close to diseased trees. Canker still has not been eradicated.
The production of citrus has declined significantly, but the demand for citrus juices is not declining as much, which increases the importing of citrus juices from Brazil and Mexico. All these problems, along with high labor costs and low crop yields, have caused growers to abandon the market and sell land to developers.
Solutions have been tried, including planting and growing trees in giant canopies to keep out insects but allow rain, developing blight-resistant trees, injecting resistant genes into the citrus, new varieties of citrus, and scientific research in genetic engineering. The problem is that many of these methods require heavy investment costs, a significant hurdle for most growers.
There is possible daylight ahead for the citrus industry, as Gov. DeSantis has said that “agriculture relief” may be on the agenda for the legislative Special Session that has been called for later this month.
Despite the challenges, Florida’s citrus heritage remains a source of pride and an opportunity for preservation. For example, the historic Al’s Family Farm in Fort Pierce is finally back in business after suffering devastating losses from the tornadoes of Hurricane Milton last October. Others, like the storied Van Antwerp estate at 6245 81st Street in Vero Beach, offer a rare chance to own a piece of Florida’s citrus history.
As TaxWatch has concluded, “The citrus industry is a part of Florida’s identity and has been a generational business for many families.” What would we do without our morning dose of Florida orange juice? It is vital to Florida’s economic future for the citrus industry to build industry infrastructure and mitigate costs “to ensure long-term sustainability.” TaxWatch has it right when it pleads, “Preserving Florida’s citrus legacy demands immediate and collaborative action to balance innovation with tradition.”
Other stories you may want to read:
- John R. Smith: California, Change Your Tune If You Want Federal Money - January 22, 2025
- John R. Smith: Florida Citrus Industry Faces Grave Danger - January 16, 2025
- John R. Smith: Political Polling: The National Joke - January 1, 2025