Latest News From Citrus

Consumers typically turn to citrus to load up on vitamin C during cold and flu season, but this year, suppliers hope they’ll stock up on even more grapefruit, oranges, mandarins and lemons to keep COVID-19 at bay.

The Oppenheimer Group has hired Sila Louw in a grower relations position in South Africa, its first position on the continent.

Greenyard USA/Seald Sweet, Vero Beach, Fla., has hired Amy Gates as vice president.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that fresh citrus producers voted to continue the marketing order regulating the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and pummelos grown in Florida.

Pummelos and oranges maintained the top two spots on PMG the first week of January, but strawberries rejoined the list at No. 3.

Citrus surged in interest during the last few days of December, taking six of the top 20 spots.

China’s appetite for imported oranges in 2021 will improve slightly with economic growth, but a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicts demand will remain well below pre-COVID levels.

The Packer's Organic Fresh Trends 2021 consumer survey reveals a vast cross-section of commodity-specific insights about organic produce consumption.

Mexican orange production will rebound in 2021 after drought cut the 2020 crop by 40%, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to expand the production areas in Australia that will be allowed to export to citrus to the U.S.

California’s citrus domestic season is in full-swing and the Bee Sweet Citrus team is encouraging consumers to set their sight on specialty citrus varieties.

Avocados bounced from No. 7 the week of Nov. 30 to take the lead spot on PMG the week of Nov. 7.

Organic pears maintained the top spot on PMG the week of Nov. 30, but citrus showed strong interest overall, taking six of the top 20 spots.

Los Angeles-based grower/packer/shipper Progressive Produce will see an expanded organic Heirloom Navel orange program towards the end of the year and into the first quarter of 2021.

The company is designing a 25,000-square-foot cold storage facility on premises at the Fort Pierce headquarters to store valencia oranges.

Florida citrus production is projected to be slightly lower this season than last, but high demand is expected throughout the season.

With less fruit available to sell and surging consumer demand, the Texas citrus market will remain strong throughout the season, said Cory Oliver, senior category director of the Texas division of Wonderful Citrus.

Lone Star Citrus has worked hard to limit staff and employee exposure to COVID-19, said TJ Flowers, vice president of operations and sales at the company.

What produce commodity has seen the biggest demand bump during the C0VID-19 pandemic?

Industry expectations for the Texas citrus crop estimate a smaller output than last year, primarily because of fruit damage from Hurricane Hanna in late July.

Don Limón – the international fresh fruit exporter-importer – is excited to announce the launch of its retail partnership program to offer greater flexibility as the trend towards direct sourcing intensifies. 

TerraFresh Organics, an organic fruit company supplying organic citrus, mangos, stone fruit and grapes to North America, is prepared for a solid organic Mexican citrus season.

Valencia, Calif.-based Sunkist Growers gave a virtual orange grove tour at its booth at the Nov. 9-13 virtual West Coast Produce Expo.

Florida citrus production is projected to be slightly lower this season than last, but high demand is expected throughout the season.

Florida’s citrus harvest in early November continued with navel and Hamlin oranges, red grapefruit and Fallglo and Early Pride tangerines, mostly for the fresh market, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has issued solicitations for fresh oranges, apples and pears.

A new rule from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will allow expanded U.S. port access to citrus from South Africa.

The Packer’s Tom Karst visited Nov. 2 with Dante Galeazzi, CEO and president of the Texas International Produce Association, about the prospects for citrus and the winter produce deal in Texas and Mexico.

Fowler, Calif-based Bee Sweet Citrus is introducing a digital campaign to promote its seasonal citrus line.

Pacific Organic is delighted to announce the beginning of another Sonoran citrus season and an exclusive marketing agreement with Citrus Game. Citrus Game, dba Flavor King.

Immunity will be top of mind this winter. In fact, according to a recent study, 68% of consumers are either using functional foods or are interested in using functional foods for immunity benefit this year.

DiSilva Fruit and Morning Kiss Organic are ready to deliver delicious, vitamin-packed organic and conventional citrus for the coming citrus season.

The University of Florida has received federal grants nearly $4.5 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture grants to fight citrus greening, aka huanglongbing/HLB.

The Sunkist brand is pretty much synonymous with top-quality citrus, but 127-year-old Valencia, Calif.-based Sunkist Growers Inc. also is earning an exceptional reputation for its sustainability program.

A year ago, the trend in the produce industry was toward reducing or even eliminating packaging.

A molecular geneticist has discovered a novel class of antimicrobial peptide which may help to treat the dreaded citrus greening disease that poses a threat to California’s citrus industry.

The 2019-20 California citrus season was one for the books.

The Sunripe Freshmarket location in the Hyde Park section of London, Ontario, offers a selection of citrus items year-round, but shoppers seem to prefer product from California, said Randy Jeffery, produce manager. 

Researchers from California and Florida reached a milestone in the in the search to develop a citrus greening-resistant tree by sequencing the genome of a plant that’s closely related to citrus trees.

Veronique Sallin, co-founder of Clermont, Fla.-based IMG Enterprises Inc., parent company of IMG Citrus, is Florida’s 2020 Woman of the Year in Agriculture.

Valencia, Calif.-based Sunkist Growers is celebrating the return of citrus season with the classic navel orange, along with new shopper behavior trends and category management solutions to support retail partners. 

With Florida groves showing the biggest declines, the 2020-21 U.S. orange crop is forecast 11% lower, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s first crop production report. 

Bee Sweet Citrus, Fowler, Calif., is ramping up California’s domestic harvest, including specialty citrus varieties.

Veg-Fresh Farms, Corona, Calif., is starting its winter citrus season.

The borders may remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Summer Citrus from South Africa is able to participate in the Produce Marketing Association’s virtual Fresh Summit Oct. 13-15.

Fruit World, Reedley, Calif., is introducing high-graphic recyclable packaging as it enters the citrus season with increased availability of California mandarins and other citrus.

Darrell Jensen is the new CEO at the Wm. G. Roe & Sons Inc. family of companies.

The values of Kern County’s top two crops in 2019 switched, with the almond crop higher than the value of its grape crop for the first time since 2011.

Researchers are contacting organic citrus growers for help in developing a holistic approach in battling citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing/HLB.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through its Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, has removed a Mexican fruit fly quarantine area in Harlingen, Texas.