Ag in the News: Hurricane Milton Squeezes Florida Citrus Crops

November 03, 2024

Citrus production in Florida was facing challenges before Hurricane Milton. Then the Category Three storm passed through central Florida bringing tornados with it. The high winds and flooding severely damaged the citrus farms along with other agriculture areas. 

Before the Hurricane

The citrus supply in the United States is split between domestic production in California and Florida and imports from South America. The citrus industry globally has struggled with greening (a citrus disease) for almost twenty years. Before Milton, Florida was also hit by several large hurricanes in the past few years - Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Ian in 2022. The damage reduced the amount of usable acreage for farming. Now the Sunshine State produces less than 20% of the nation’s citrus compared to around 75% before 2014. 

Production Impact   

The full range of damage from the hurricane is not known yet. For comparison, Hurricane Irma caused 50% crop losses for most farms and the same can be expected from Milton. Also, it usually takes two years for citrus production to recover from a large storm. These damages will only add to the expected 16% decrease in production from last year.

What That Means For Consumers 

Between the greening and hurricanes, the citrus supply will be limited. The United States will be more dependent on other states like California. Brazil is also dealing with greening disease. International and domestic greening further decreases the overall supply. Low supply has already pushed orange prices close to $4 a pound which is over $2.50 more than in 2020. Additionally, orange juice concentrate prices have increased by 50%. Some of increased prices may be a result of natural inflation. However, hurricanes are not going away and neither is citrus greening. Everything from afternoon snacks to fruit sales will feel the effects. 

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And Another Thing 01 Hurricanes & Citrus 

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