So far, the Californian citrus harvest is progressing well between the storms, an uncommon problem after four years of drought. However they are still facing problems with water supply, infrastructure, pests, regulatory constraints and uncertain market conditions.
Kevin Severns, a Sanger citrus grower and general manager of Orange Cove-Sanger Citrus Association says they are a quarter of the way through the harvest which he expects will continue into May.
If harvest delays stack up, the growers and shippers may get stuck with overripe fruit late in the season, he said, "but now quality is excellent."
This season's navel orange crop is forecast to be slightly smaller than last year, an estimated 81 million cartons, produced on fewer acres and yielding somewhat smaller fruit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture crop survey predicts. The forecast includes conventional, organic and specialty navel oranges, including cara cara and blood orange varieties.
California's grapefruit production is down 1 percent from the 2013-14 season, but lemon production is up 9 percent, USDA crop analysts found. Tangerine and mandarin production in California is up 24 percent from last season with continued increase in planted acres.
Most packinghouses have planned for a wetter winter and as opportunities occur between storms, growers are moving enough fruit into processing plants to carry packing and shipping activities for a week or more at a time, said Bob Blakely, vice president of Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual.
Another challenge, he said, is the threat posed by the Asian citrus psyllid. The California Department of Food and Agriculture said Dec. 28 that southern Stanislaus County has been placed under quarantine for ACP following detection of two psyllids within the city of Turlock.
Source - freshplaza.com
