2023-07-16 06:05:53
The decline was especially noticeable in the orange crop, a hallmark of Florida
Oranges have been cultivated in Florida since the 16th century and commercially since the 19th century. /VF
Epheagro.
The 2022-2023 citrus crop in Florida was the worst in almost a century due to the combined effects of the devastating Hurricane Ian and the Huanglongbing (HLB) or “greening” disease, which has been present in this US state for regarding 20 years and for which, for now, there is no solution.
The decline was especially noticeable in the orange crop, a hallmark of Florida, where the tree that bears that fruit has been grown on these lands since the 16th century and commercially since the 19th century.
In the 2022-2023 season, Florida citrus growers collected the equivalent of 15.85 million boxes of oranges (regarding 4.5 kilos each box) compared to 41.2 million boxes in 2021-2022, which were also fewer boxes. than those of the previous crop, according to figures from the US Department of Agriculture.
Two decades ago Florida’s orange harvest, which is used primarily for juice, was 200 million boxes.
Harvests of grapefruit and mandarins also showed pronounced declines. Grapefruit production went from 3.3 million boxes in 2021-2022 to 1.81 million in 2022-2023, and two decades ago it was around 50 million boxes.
Matt Joyner, executive director of Florida Citrus Mutual, a private group that includes producers, told EFE that this year “greening,” a bacterial disease transmitted by an insect and spread to almost 100 percent of the trees that produce citrus in this southern state, Ian joined.
The category 4 (of 5) hurricane, which made landfall in Florida last September and crossed the peninsula from west to east in its central part with winds and rains, caused damages of 112,000 million dollars (99,700 million euros), a record figure in the history of this state, and agriculture was one of the most affected sectors.
According to Joyner, its devastating effects on citrus crops in Florida combined with the HLB disease to aggravate the plight of an industry that, even in crisis, moves some 6.7 billion dollars (5.9 billion euros) a year and gives employ more than 30,000 people.
Ian wiped out around 10% of the number of citrus trees in the state.
“We have had some challenges in the last 18 to 20 years. There is a disease that entered through the ports of South Florida, whose origin we do not know exactly, although it is possibly China.”
“We have had some challenges in the last 18 to 20 years. There is a disease that entered through the ports of South Florida, whose origin we do not know exactly, although it is possibly China”, says Joyner.
The director of Florida Citrus Mutual points out that it is a bacterial disease that decreases the productivity of trees but is harmless to humans.
It is transmitted by a non-native insect, the Asian citrus psyllid, and has also affected citrus farming in Brazil, the world’s largest producer of orange juice.
In Florida there are almost 400,000 acres (162,000 hectares) devoted to citrus growing and the hopes of growers are pinned on new varieties of trees supposedly more resistant to the HLB disease that have been planted and on the aid that might be granted by the federal government, in addition to those contemplated in the Florida budget.
Joyner indicated that for regarding a year they have been testing a therapy to combat greening developed by scientists, but there are still no definitive results.
1689491705
#Florida #citrus #crop #lowest #years #due #disease #hurricanes
