Florida citrus harvest projections remain steady to start 2025

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After a rough year when citrus production in Florida was thrown off by two hurricanes, the first projection for citrus growers in 2025 is providing some stability.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued its latest citrus crop forecast and is projecting that 12 million boxes of oranges will be harvested in Florida by the end of this year’s growing season.

That’s the same figure the agency forecast in December after officials lowered their projections following Hurricane Milton tearing through citrus growing regions of the state. The storm hit the Gulf Coast on Oct. 9 and crossed the peninsula, exiting into the Atlantic Ocean on Oct. 10.

In addition, the USDA forecast that there will be 1.2 million boxes of grapefruit and 300,000 boxes of tangerines and tangelos harvested this growing season. Those figures are unchanged from the December forecast that came post-Milton.

“In 2025, Florida’s citrus industry remains dedicated to recovering from the impacts of battling citrus greening for two decades and enduring three major hurricanes in the last seven years. This month’s forecast shows little change from last month’s projections post-Hurricane Milton, a positive sign that production remains steady and that there’s hope for the future,” said Matt Joyner, Executive Vice President and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, an advocacy group for citrus growers.

“For generations, Florida’s citrus growers have weathered adversity with unwavering optimism and determination to rebuild and recover despite their obstacles. With a new Congress, a new administration and a promise that disaster relief and other resources will be available to growers in 2025, we are hopeful that Florida’s citrus industry can make a strong comeback.”

Joyner added that the organization is encouraged by a disaster relief bill approved by Congress in December that allocates more than $100 billion in federal funds for disaster recovery. That measure included $31 billion for agricultural producers across the country.