FORECASTER
PREDICTS RECORD LOW ORANGE CROP A
respected forecaster has predicted a record low orange crop for the next season.
Citrus Consulting International’s Dr. Elizabeth Steger released the numbers
to her clients in a private luncheon in Orlando Wednesday (August 16). Steger
estimated an orange crop of 123 million boxes, of which 62 million boxes are from
the early mid variety including navels, and 61 million boxes are from Valencia
oranges. She
established that the reasons behind this low production are an increase in mortality
rate due to canker eradication and tristeza disease, and also that the number
of fruit per tree was the lowest she’s seen in her history of forecasting
Florida oranges.
ALSO IN THIS WEEK'S RAP-UP (Members-Only articles are indicated in bold.) |
