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USDA’s 2011-12 Florida Orange Crop Estimate Adjusted Slightly

Contact: Andrew Meadows at (863) 682-1111 or (cell) (863) 944-4924
For Immediate Release:

LAKELAND, Fla. (May 10, 2012) –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased its orange crop forecast for the 2011-2012 season by 200,000 boxes Tuesday, estimating Florida will now produce 145.2 million boxes.

Visit www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Florida/Publications/Citrus/cpfp.htm for the complete USDA estimate. The USDA makes its initial forecast in October and then revises it monthly until the end of the season in July. During the 2010-2012 season, Florida produced 139 million boxes of oranges.

The 2011-2012 May increase was a result of an adjustment for utilization in early and mid-season varieties from 74 million boxes to 74.2 million. Of the 200,000 boxes, navels accounted for 50,000 boxes.

Valencias remained at 71 million boxes. For Florida specialty fruit, the USDA predicts 1.15 million boxes of tangelos and 4.3 million boxes of tangerines. Those numbers are unchanged from April.

The yield for from concentrate orange juice (FCOJ) decreased to 1.61 gallons per 90-pound box from the previous estimate of 1.62 gallons per box.

The USDA predicts Florida will harvest 18.8 million boxes of grapefruit in ’11-’12, showing no change from April’s estimate.

The Florida citrus industry creates a $9 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 76,000 people, and covering about 550,000 acres. Founded in 1948 and currently representing nearly 8,000 grower members, Florida Citrus Mutual is the state’s largest citrus grower organization. For more information, visit www.flcitrusmutual.com. To receive winter weather updates follow FCM on Twitter.