USDA Boosts Orange Estimate
WASHINGTON - Apr 12/16 - SNS -- Production of all types of citrus fruit is better than initially expected, according to the USDA.
This year's orange crop is 4% bigger than previously forecast, but at 5.59 million tons, it is down 12% from last year.
The United States 2015-2016 grapefruit crop is forecast at 819,000 tons, up 1% from last month's forecast but down 8% from last season's revised final utilization. In Florida, expected production, at 10.7 million boxes, is unchanged from last month but down 17% from last year. California grapefruit production is up 5% from the previous forecast but down 9% from last season's revised final utilization. Texas grapefruit production is up 2% from the previous forecast and up 22% from the previous year.
The United States tangerine and mandarin crop is forecast at 947,000 tons, up 4% from last month and up 11% from last season's revised final utilization. If realized, this will be the largest production ever recorded in the data series which began in 1964-1965. The California tangerine and mandarin production forecast is up 5% from the previous forecast and up 19% from last season's revised utilized production. The Florida forecast is unchanged from the previous month but down 38% from last year's revised utilized production. Estimates for Arizona have been discontinued.
The forecast for the 2015-2016 United States lemon crop is 900,000 tons, up 4% from the previous forecast but down slightly from last season's revised final utilization. Arizona's harvest is complete for this year. In California the desert harvest is complete.
Florida's tangelo forecast is 390,000 boxes (18,000 tons), down 3% from last month and down 41% from last season's revised final utilization. The production is the lowest since the 1958-1959 season.
Utilized Production of Citrus Fruits by Crop - States and United States: 2014-2015 and
Forecasted April 1, 2016
[The crop year begins with the bloom of the first year shown and ends with the completion of harvest the
following year]
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: Utilized production boxes 1/ : Utilized production ton equivalent
Crop and State :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: 2014-2015 : 2015-2016 : 2014-2015 : 2015-2016
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
: ------- 1,000 boxes ------- ------- 1,000 tons ------
Oranges :
California, all ..............: 48,600 52,500 1,944 2,100
Early, mid, and Navel 2/ ....: 39,100 42,000 1,564 1,680
Valencia ....................: 9,500 10,500 380 420
:
Florida, all .................: 96,950 76,000 4,363 3,420
Early, mid, and Navel 2/ ....: 47,400 36,000 2,133 1,620
Valencia ....................: 49,550 40,000 2,230 1,800
:
Texas, all ...................: 1,452 1,570 62 66
Early, mid, and Navel 2/ ....: 1,170 1,350 50 57
Valencia ....................: 282 220 12 9
:
United States, all ...........: 147,002 130,070 6,369 5,586
Early, mid, and Navel 2/ ....: 87,670 79,350 3,747 3,357
Valencia ....................: 59,332 50,720 2,622 2,229
:
Grapefruit :
California ...................: 4,300 3,900 172 156
Florida, all .................: 12,900 10,700 548 455
Red .........................: 9,650 8,200 410 349
White .......................: 3,250 2,500 138 106
Texas ........................: 4,250 5,200 170 208
:
United States ................: 21,450 19,800 890 819
:
Tangerines and mandarins :
Arizona 3/ 4/ ................: 170 (NA) 7 (NA)
California 3/ ................: 18,500 22,000 740 880
Florida ......................: 2,265 1,400 108 67
:
United States ................: 20,935 23,400 855 947
:
Lemons :
Arizona ......................: 2,000 1,500 80 60
California ...................: 20,600 21,000 824 840
:
United States ................: 22,600 22,500 904 900
:
Tangelos :
Florida ......................: 665 390 30 18
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
(NA) Not available.
1/ Net pounds per box: oranges in California-80, Florida-90, Texas-85; grapefruit in California-80,
Florida-85, Texas-80; tangerines and mandarins in Arizona and California-80, Florida-95; lemons-80;
tangelos-90.
2/ Navel and miscellaneous varieties in California. Early (including Navel) and midseason varieties in
Florida and Texas. Small quantities of Temples in Florida.
3/ Includes tangelos and tangors.
4/ Estimates discontinued in 2015-2016.
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