Adam Putnam says citrus still threatened despite improved forecast

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says Florida’s citrus industry still is threatened by disease despite a federal forecast that shows the industry holding almost steady.

Florida agriculture faces a threat from citrus greening, a bacterial disease that is spread primarily by Asian insects called citrus psyllids. Acreage planted with citrus declined from 845,250 acres in 1998 to 524,640 acres in 2013.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts 102 million boxes of oranges, down from 104 million last year. That represents a decline of 59 percent since the peak of 254 million boxes in 1997-98, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

“The updated citrus forecast of 102 million boxes is holding steady, but the future of Florida’s iconic citrus industry continues to be threatened by citrus greening,” Putnam said in a statement.

Both the House and Senate in their separate 2015-16 proposed budgets have provided the $18 million requested by Putnam to battle citrus greening, his department said.

“We will fight to save Florida’s $10.7 billion citrus industry, and the 64,000 jobs the industry supports,” Putnam said.

Bruce Ritchie (@bruceritchie) covers environment, energy and growth management in Tallahassee.