The U.S. Department of Agriculture monthly forecast of the 2013-2014 Florida orange crop released Monday stayed the same at 115 million boxes.
The USDA estimated early-mid orange varieties held steady at 54 million boxes, while Valencia remained at 61 million boxes.
During the 2012-2013 season Florida produced 133.6 million boxes of oranges.
In a news release Michael Sparks, vice president & CEO of the Florida Citrus Mutual trade group, called the static forecast “somewhat of a relief” in light of the citrus greening bacterial disease that kills trees and slashes harvests.
The “good news,” Sparks said, is that Congress and President Obama last week signed a farm bill that includes $125 million over the next five years for citrus research.
That’s in addition to millions Florida citrus growers have spent through the years on disease research through a tax they pay on boxes of fruit harvested.
Florida’s citrus industry creates an estimated $9 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 76,000 people, and covering about 550,000 acres.
