Orange harvest in Florida will be the lowest in decades
Oranges are one of the most consumed products in Florida, but their production was reduced and reached unimaginable records, as reported by the CBS writing team.
The forecast from the United States Department of Agriculture indicates that the state will produce about 44,5 million boxes of oranges in the 2021-2022 growing season.
This equates to the harvest that occurred in World War II, as explained by Louis Schacht, co-owner of Schacht Groves, a 150-citrus growing operation near Vero Beach.
Reasons for the low production of oranges in Florida
Schacht expressed that one of the factors by which the number of citrus harvests decreased in this period is due to the fact that the plants have a fungus that prevents them from ripening.
"Most of their mature trees now in Florida have been infected with orange greening for a long time," Schacht said.
The businessman said that many of the citrus trees in Florida have been infected for between 15 to 17 years.
"Given so much exposure and so much time, it's not surprising that you're seeing a small crop," he said.
Producer expects state government to invest money in research
Schacht requested that the Governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, have a budget for research on this fungus that has affected orange production in the locality.
"It's still a very risky proposition, so anything they can do to incentivize planting is a big deal," he said.
Despite the situation, the farmer believes that there is still an opportunity in Florida for other producers to harvest this important local product.
"It is still a very risky proposal, so whatever they can do to encourage planting, in the coming years and thus increase production," he said.
Miami Daily
Author: Daniel Parra 12:14 pm