‘Excellent’ quality ahead for California's citrus crops
Although the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated that California’s navel orange crop will be about 42 million 80-pound boxes this season, some grower-shippers estimate that the number might be a bit on the heavy side, and initial feedback indicates that volume is a bit lighter, said Casey Creamer, president of Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual.
“Time will tell,” he said.
Last year’s navel crop was about 44.3 million boxes, according to the USDA’s January estimate.
Read more: Ample supplies, increased interest set citrus up for a strong season
NASS also forecasted that California growers will pack 23 million 80-pound cartons of tangerines and tangelos, up from 22 million last season; and 4.2 million 80-pound boxes of grapefruit, up from 3.8 million for 2019-20.
Fruit quality, especially for the early season navels, is excellent, Creamer said.
“The cold weather has been just about perfect for many of our growing regions.”
There were some instances of below-freezing temperatures that caused a few sleepless nights, but nothing growers couldn’t manage by starting up wind machines and spraying water, he said.
If the present conditions hold, growers should have a good year, Creamer said.
Valencia, Calif.-based Sunkist Growers Inc. is enjoying its peak season, said Christina Ward, director of global brand marketing.
“Mother Nature provided excellent growing conditions, and the eating quality is very good,” she said. “From the volume, quality and sizing, Sunkist citrus is at the top of its 2021 season.”
Sunkist’s current product line includes navel oranges, blood oranges, cara cara oranges, Sunkist Delite mandarins, traditional and meyer lemons, minneola tangelos, pummelos and an extensive lineup of organic citrus, she said.
Read more: Citrus in the spotlight — Health halo boosts sales amid COVID-19
California growers seem to be packing a lot of fancy grade navels this winter, said Jim Saavedra, salesman for Cecelia Packing Corp., Orange Cove, Calif.
“There’s not a lot of choice (grade) coming off,” he said.
That’s reflective of the good growing conditions.
“The trees are happy right now,” he said in early January.
Smaller fruit usually would be packed in bags, he said. But growers would rather see higher-grade fruit than have a year with heavy rain, clear rot and other challenges.
Cecelia Packing has had a solid season so far, Saavedra said, and was shipping navel oranges, cara caras, blood oranges and heirlooms in early January.
Minneolas were expected to start in mid-January.
Johnston Farms, Edison, Calif., started harvesting its navel orange crop in early November, said Derek Vaughn, citrus sales manager.
“We’ve had great growing conditions, and not a lot of rain,” he said.
Fruit size started out small at first, which created a challenge, since small fruit usually is in demand by restaurants, most of which were closed or doing reduced business because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.
However, when schools reopened after winter break, demand for smaller fruit picked up.
NASS estimated that California will pack 22 million 80-pound cartons of lemons, down from 25.7 million during the 2019-20 season.
Read more: Sell-More-Citrus Merchandising
Santa Paula, Calif.-based Limoneira Co. is experiencing good quality with its lemons from California’s San Joaquin Valley and the desert area, said Alex Teague, senior vice president.
This year, the desert crop is 25%-30% shorter than last season, so sizing is good, he said.
“However, in the San Joaquin Valley and on the coast, the dry weather is hindering growth,” Teague said.
Quality of the coastal fruit won’t be determined until some persistent winds dissipate, he said.
Desert volume is expected to be down, while other areas should have increases, but COVID-19 adds an air of uncertainty, he said.
“Unfortunately, we are not very optimistic for our fresh volume until the COVID restrictions are lifted and people can return to normal traffic in restaurants, bars and travel,” Teague said.
On the organic side, Homegrown Organic Farms, Porterville, Calif., has a full gamut of citrus, including navel oranges, mandarins, clementines, pummelos, cara cara navels, lemons and grapefruit, said Cherie France, marketing manager.
“In January, we’re rockin’ and rollin’ on our organic citrus program,” she said.
The COVID-19 pandemic seems to have prompted consumers to eat more healthfully, she said.
“We are experiencing an uptick in demand for all of our citrus varietals,” France said. “Everybody wants to increase their vitamin and nutrient intake.”
