Commodities
Florida Farmers Rush to Save Oranges as Juice Price Hits Records
- Major citrus grower says recovery may take 2-plus years
- Hurricane Ian worsened fruit drop triggered by disease
A truck is loaded with oranges during a harvest in Avon Park, Florida.
Photographer: Eva Marie Uzcategui/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Florida’s citrus growers are racing to collect what’s left from one of the worst seasons ever after hurricane blows sent production plunging and juice prices toward fresh records.
The state’s crop will plunge 56% this season after damage from Hurricane Ian, which hit the state in September just a many groves were recovering from Hurricane Irma in 2017. It exacerbated long-term impact from the devastating citrus-greening disease that’s sent costs soaring as well. Greening makes fruit shrivel and reduces yield, eventually killing trees.