WINTER HAVEN — Florida citrus growers and orange juice consumers face a tumultuous year ahead if a projected 26 percent decline in Florida’s new orange crop for the 2016-17 season comes to pass.
Kissimmee-based citrus consultant Elizabeth Steger on Wednesday predicted Florida orange growers will produce just 60.5 million boxes of oranges in the new season, which begins in October, down from 81.5 million boxes in 2015-16. Steger’s widely watched estimate is generally considered the first statistically reliable indicator of the upcoming season’s orange crop.
If Steger’s estimate proves accurate, it will be the lowest Florida orange crop in 53 years since 54.9 million boxes harvested in the 1963-64 season. The next lowest crop was 57.79 million orange boxes in 1949-50.
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