ST. PETERSBURG – 2012 was a good year for Florida’s fruit and veggie industry.
Agriculture contributes $104 billion to the state’s economy annually and employs 2 million people. It’s the second largest industry in the state, behind tourism.
In a report released Friday from the state’s agriculture department, it was good year especially for snap beans, cucumbers and citrus fruits.
Dan Sleep, a senior analyst for the department, said one crop which surprised him with extraordinary growth was blueberries.
In the past 10 years, Florida blueberries have gone from a $10 million industry into a $65 million industry, he said, largely due to the fact that farmers are planting heat-resistant and hardy berry bushes.
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