Citrus season forecast favorably in Florida

BARTOW, Fla. (AP) – The 2014-15 Florida citrus season could be a good one for both growers and orange juice drinkers.

The Lakeland Ledger reports (http://bit.ly/1oC0nR9) that orange growers should see higher farm prices for their fruit in the current season, which began on Oct. 1, but OJ consumers should see lower or stable prices.

During a meeting Wednesday of the Florida Citrus Commission, officials said citrus greening disease has caused Florida orange production to nosedive from 242 million boxes in 2003-04 to a projected 108 million boxes this season. But grove caretaking costs over that span have more than doubled to more than $2,000 per acre, also mostly because of greening.

Florida’s juice processors buy 95 percent of the annual orange harvest. A gallon of orange juice contains about one pound solids.

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