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Florida’s citrus industry struggles to bounce back after Hurricane Milton devastated crops

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — The citrus industry in Florida is struggling to bounce back after Hurricane Milton devastated crops.

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The latest forecast from the USDA shows no change in anticipated orange and grapefruit yields compared to last month.

However, the industry still faces a harvest nearly 20% lower than pre-Milton projections.

Read: Florida citrus growers remain confident in crops despite storm damage, widespread disease

This comes as major grower Alico Inc. announced it is leaving the citrus business, cutting 12% of the state’s citrus acreage.

“We are thrilled to see that we are holding steady. We are hopeful that means we are going to get through the rest of the season and be as productive as we can post such an impact like what we saw in Milton,” said Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Matt Joyner.

Read: Citrus growers look for state, federal aid

Even with steady numbers, the industry is on track for its lowest output since 1918.

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