Decreased production of oranges in Florida

The Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its latest forecast for the harvest of oranges, down from the original estimate.

Florida would produce 143 million boxes of oranges in 2010-2011, a decrease of 3 million boxes according to estimation of October.

According to Florida Citrus Mutual, the largest organization of citrus growers, this decrease is not surprising. Its 8,000 member producers have made up information on fruit size, the smaller this year. According to Florida Citrus Mutual, the harvest will not be as large as originally planned.

For grapefruit, production is estimated at 19.6 million boxes that is a slight decrease from the initial estimate of 20 million.

The citrus industry in Florida generates $ 9 billion in annual revenue, employs nearly 76,000 people and covers 569,000 hectares more.

Source: winknews, Sunshine State news