Florida Citrus Crop Estimated At 154 Million Boxes

HAINES CITY — It's something you don't see often, but various parts of the Florida citrus industry seem to be singing from the same hymnal when it comes to the 2010-11 orange crop.

The first reliable estimates of next season's crop surfaced Monday from Elizabeth Steger, an Orlando citrus consultant, at 154 million boxes and from Louis Dreyfus Citrus Inc. in Winter Garden at 149 million boxes.

"It simply wasn't that unexpected. It won't move the market that much," said Bob Behr, an economist and vice president at Florida's Natural Growers in Lake Wales, the nation's third-largest orange juice seller. "I think it's good news for the processing industry. It gives us enough fruit to run."

Behr also is a member of the Florida Citrus Commission, which had forecast the 2010-11 orange crop at 147.3 million boxes in a spring poll of all the members. The industry consensus before the Steger and Dreyfus estimates came out hovered around 150 million boxes.

To read the rest of the story, please go to: The Lakeland Ledger.