Photo: Adam Jones / Stone / Getty Images
FLORIDA - Hurricane Milton has delivered a devastating blow to Florida's citrus industry, pushing what was already forecasted to be a historically low harvest even lower for the 2023-2024 season.
According to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Tuesday, the updated forecast projects Florida will produce just 12 million 90-pound boxes of oranges this season, 3 million fewer than estimated before the storm—a 20% drop.
This marks a steep decline from the 17.96 million boxes produced in the 2023-2024 season and represents the smallest harvest in over a century.
The storm, which swept across the state's citrus heartland in October, also slashed expected production numbers for grapefruit and specialty crops like tangerines and tangelos.
The shrinking supply has driven prices for orange juice concentrate and fresh oranges to near-record highs.
A 12-ounce can of frozen orange juice concentrate now costs $4.23, up nearly 50% from 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Experts attribute this price surge to the ongoing supply shortage, compounded by broader inflationary pressures.
Florida’s citrus industry has long grappled with challenges, including deadly citrus greening disease, foreign competition, development pressures, and repeated hurricane damage.
This season’s devastation underscores the industry’s fragile state.
Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower from Wauchula, described the forecast as "pretty dismal" and pledged legislative support for the struggling sector.
"Hurricane Milton was catastrophic," Albritton said, noting his groves suffered severe damage. "We had several of our groves that were damaged so heavily that there is not enough fruit to harvest."
The citrus harvest, which typically runs from fall through spring, now faces an uncertain future as growers assess the long-term impact of Milton and other persistent threats.
Despite the challenges, Albritton emphasized the industry's importance to Florida’s heritage and economy, vowing to advocate for its recovery.