Florida’s citrus industry faces an increasingly difficult future, contending with a range of ongoing challenges. From devastating hurricanes to the persistent threat of plant diseases, along with the rapid expansion of real estate development, growers are under pressure from multiple fronts. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
These factors have resulted in severe losses for the state’s iconic citrus production, which has been declining over the past few decades.According to ABC News<\/a><\/strong>, the combined impact of these issues continues to push the industry into uncertain territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The citrus industry in Florida has suffered considerable setbacks due to a series of natural disasters, most notably Hurricane Irma in 2017 and subsequent storms in 2022 and 2023. These events have compounded the damage already inflicted by citrus greening disease, a bacterial infection spread by the Asian citrus psyllid. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The disease continues to decimate citrus groves across the state, leaving growers struggling to maintain their crops. As a result, Florida’s orange production has declined by 90%<\/strong> over the last two decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At the turn of the century, citrus groves in Florida covered more than 832,000 acres (336,698 hectares), but by last year, that number had dropped to 275,000 acres (111,288 hectares). This dramatic reduction in cultivated land has led to Florida losing its status as the leading citrus producer in the U.S., with California<\/a> now holding that title.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adding to the challenges faced by citrus farmers is the rapid growth of real estate development. Polk County, home to one of Florida’s largest concentrations of citrus groves, has seen a surge in population, leading to the expansion of residential communities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In 2023, more people moved to Polk County<\/a> than any other county in the U.S., further increasing the demand for land. Many citrus growers, including those with multi-generational businesses, have opted to sell their lands to developers, further reducing the available space for farming. As Trevor Murphy, a third-generation grower, observes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cAt some point, this isn\u2019t going to be an orange grove anymore. You look around here, and it\u2019s all houses, and that\u2019s going to happen here.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
The combination of natural disasters and urbanisation is pushing the citrus industry toward a critical point of no return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Efforts to Sustain the Industry<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Despite these setbacks, some growers are determined to persevere. Trevor Murphy<\/strong>, who continues to operate his family\u2019s grove in Lake Wales<\/strong>, is hopeful that scientific breakthroughs will eventually provide a solution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
He and other growers are waiting for the development of genetically modified trees<\/strong> that could resist citrus greening. Research is also exploring alternative techniques, such as planting trees inside protective screens or covering them with white bags to keep out the insects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Murphy, who also holds a real estate license, has started selling land to developers in order to fund efforts to replant more productive groves. He remains optimistic, saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cI would like to think that we\u2019re at the bottom, and we\u2019re starting to climb back up that hill.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
In addition, scientists at the University of Florida<\/strong> have been working on a genetically modified tree that can kill the Asian citrus psyllids<\/strong> responsible for citrus greening. However, it could take at least three years before these trees are ready for planting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Economic Ramifications of Citrus Decline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The decline of Florida’s citrus industry has broader economic implications. The industry supports more than 33,000 jobs<\/strong> in the state and contributes approximately $6.8 billion<\/strong> to Florida’s economy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The loss of citrus groves affects not only growers but also processors, caretakers, and businesses involved in the production of related products like orange juice and citrus-based candies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For example, Alico Inc., one of Florida\u2019s largest citrus growers, announced it would scale back operations on more than 53,000 acres (21,000 hectares) after its production had fallen by almost 75% over the last decade. This decline has led to reduced capacity for processors like Tropicana, which rely on Alico’s fruit for orange juice production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Tom Davidson, whose family runs a citrus candy business, notes that the drop in citrus production has also impacted the variety and pricing of their products:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019re really hoping that the scientists can get this figured out so we can get back to what we did.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
While scientific advancements may offer some hope, the industry must adapt to both environmental and economic realities to secure its place in the future of Florida\u2019s agricultural landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Entomologist Lukasz Stelinski from the University of Florida<\/a> compares the situation to a long-suffering sports team, saying :<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\u201cIt\u2019s kind of like being a Lions fan before the Detroit Lions started to win games. I\u2019m hoping that we are making that turnaround.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n
Ultimately, growers are hoping for breakthroughs that will allow Florida’s citrus industry to bounce back and regain its former prominence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Florida’s citrus industry faces an increasingly difficult future, contending with hurricanes, plant diseases, and the rapid growth of real estate development. These challenges have caused severe losses in citrus production over the past few decades, leaving growers struggling to keep their groves alive. According to ABC News, the industry’s decline has raised concerns for its long-term viability.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":103135,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[44],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-103134","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33","no-featured-image-padding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103134","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=103134"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103134\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":103140,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/103134\/revisions\/103140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/103135"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=103134"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=103134"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/en.econostrum.info\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=103134"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}