04-05-2006, 11:11 AM
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#3 (permalink)
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Devoted
Donor
Location: New England
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Hurricane damage.
Quote:
LAKELAND, Fla. – October 12, 2005 – Florida will produce 27 percent more oranges this year, and experts see the crop as evidence the state’s citrus industry is recovering from the hurricanes of 2004.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s crop estimate released Wednesday, Florida will produce 190million boxes of oranges, 24 million boxes of grapefruit and 8.3 million boxes of specialty fruit. The figures are all increases from last year, but still well below the pre-hurricane levels of 2004. Grapefruit production will increase 88 percent.
“While supply is not yet back to what we saw two years ago, the size of the crop is much improved from last year, and that’s an important indication of the resilience of our industry,” said Dan Gunter, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. In the late summer and early fall 2004, three hurricanes hit Florida’s citrus belt knocking fruit from trees and making the crop one of the smallest in nearly two decades. Since then industry predictions of the crop size for 2005 have varied widely.
“The Florida crop has increased substantially, but because inventories have been depleted and there is some improvement in consumer demand, the worldwide availability of orange juice is still below last year,” said Bob Norberg, the FDOC’s director of economic and market research. “As a result of that and other economic conditions, such as rising energy costs, we would expect to see orange juice prices to increase. However, it’s important to remember that orange juice prices have not kept pace with other food prices. So, consumers will continue to recognize that orange juice is a great value.”
“Our research shows that consumers are becoming more aware of the nutritional quality of their foods and how that affects their health and well-being,” said Gunter. “This is the foundation for our marketing programs, and we are very optimistic that consumer demand for naturally nutritious foods, such as 100 percent orange juice and grapefruit juice will increase. Orange juice and grapefruit juice are some of the most naturally nutrient-rich beverages on the market. Our job at FDOC is to make sure that story is heard and understood by consumers.”
The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry. Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels. Visit www.floridajuice.com for more info. The USDA’s Web site is http://www.nass.usda.gov/fl/rtoc0ci.htm
For more information contact Andrew Meadows (863) 499-2516
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