Hurricane Milton impacts already-struggling Florida citrus industry
New estimates from the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that Florida’s citrus crop was struggling before Hurricane Milton, with the cyclone expected to further exacerbate the challenges that growers now face.
According to the agency’s October survey, harvesters are expected to produce only 15 million boxes of oranges during the 2024-2025 season—a figure that represents a decline of about 16 percent from just a year ago.
FILE - Oranges lie rotting on the ground in a field in Immokalee, Florida, after Hurricane Wilma tore through the area on October 24, 2005, causing extensive damage to the states citrus crop. (Photo by Phillippe Diederich/Getty Images)
This estimate was calculated before Milton impacted west-central Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, affecting some of the state’s largest citrus producers.
During the 2023-2024 season, nearly 18 million boxes were produced, down more than 90% from production levels in the late 1990s.
Experts say that the combination of hurricanes in 2004, 2017 and 2022, along with citrus greening, has contributed to the historic declines in production.
According to the Florida citrus industry, every citrus-producing county in the Sunshine State was affected during Hurricane Irma in 2017. Most harvesters reported losses of 30 to 70 percent, with initial damages estimated to have exceed $700 million.
Less than a decade later, the University of Florida’s Economic Impact Analysis Program estimated agricultural losses from Hurricane Ian in 2022 to be around $1 billion.
Florida citrus production 2022-2023
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While Milton’s impacts fell well short of the destruction left behind by Irma, farmers are now bracing for additional shortfalls in production.
"While Florida growers begin to assess the extent of any personal or operational impacts from Hurricane Milton, we are grateful to hear that everyone appears to be safe, and there has been no loss of life in our agricultural communities. As growers return to the fields and evaluate their crops, it may take several weeks before the full impacts are known. If there are any, the effects can vary greatly by crop, geography and even by field location within the same area," the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association stated.
In addition to oranges, the USDA estimated that this season’s grapefruit production would be down 22%, while production of tangerines and tangelos would decrease by around 11% - all figures that do not account for the impacts of Hurricane Milton.
Further citrus forecasts are scheduled to be released on Nov. 8, Dec. 10,and Jan. 10, 2025, which could provide investors and consumers with a better sense of the extent of the impact that the heavy rainfall and gusty winds had on crops.
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Orange harvesting season typically begins as early as the fall and lasts through the spring but is dependent on weather conditions year-round.
Prices for both orange juice concentrate and oranges are hovering near record highs, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
A 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate was reported to be $4.23, an increase of nearly 50% from levels reported in 2020.