• 15 Sep
    Hurricane Irma and the damage to the Florida citrus industry

    Hurricane Irma and the damage to the Florida citrus industry

    Official bodies representing the citrus industry in Florida have issued the following comments in the aftermath of the severe damage caused by hurricane Irma to citrus crops in the State: 

    “Given the size of the storm, Hurricane Irma’s impact is wide and far-reaching across the state of Florida. With the storm having passed through Monday, Florida Citrus growers are still in the process of assessing damage to their crops.  It is safe to say, however, that the storm has resulted in significant damage to the Florida Citrus industry. Before Hurricane Irma, we were expecting more than 75 million boxes worth of oranges on the trees this season.  Due to the storm, we now have much less. In addition to fruit loss due to wind, some growers also are dealing with uprooted trees. Agricultural emergency declarations exist for types of natural disasters like this.” Said Shannon Shepp, Executive Director, Florida Department of Citrus in a statement. 

    Source: Florida Department of Citrus 

    “It’s still too early to know the full extent of the damage to Florida citrus. But after touring groves on foot and by air, it’s clear that our signature crop has suffered serious and devastating losses from Hurricane Irma.” Reported Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam after he took an aerial tour to survey areas impacted by Hurricane Irma, including citrus groves in Central and Southwest Florida. 

    Source: Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services 

    “Based on grower reports, citrus crop loss may be in the 50% to 70% range in some areas”, commented Lisa Lochridge, director of public affairs with the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association. She went on to say many groves were flooded and it would take growers a while to get all of that excess water pumped out. In the meantime, standing water in groves can increase the chance of disease to the roots. Harvesting was due to begin in November, and the state’s volumes are now set to be much lighter. “The damage estimates vary, depending on the area of the state hit. South Florida damage is more severe. Based on reports from the field, it’s estimated that there’s a 50 to 70 percent crop loss in South Florida, depending on the region,” Lisa said. “Losses are slightly less going north, but Irma cut a powerful swath through the epicenter of Florida’s citrus-growing region.” 

    Source: Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association/Fresh Fruit Portal 

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 15 Sep
    Bumper Brazilian crop

    Bumper Brazilian crop

    Orange production in Brazil’s main cultivation region for the fruit is expected to jump 52% from last year’s poor harvest to 374 million boxes, helped by favourable rains in April and May.

    According to a report by Brazil’s orange research body Fundecitrus, rainfall came at the right time in Sao Paulo state and in the Triangulo region in Minas Gerais, where most of the fruit processed in Brazil comes from.

    The output projection is 2.6% higher than Fundecitrus’s first forecast, published in May. It also confirms data released by the local orange juice industry which points to a large crop that should boost juice production.

    CitrusBR, the association representing Brazil’s orange juice industry, which leads global exports, expects a 72% jump in juice production in the 2017/18 crop year (July/June), to 1.2 million tonnes of frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ).

    Fundecitrus said weather conditions favoured the production of larger fruits. Farmers on average will need 277 oranges to fill a box, compared with a previous estimate of 310 oranges.

    Source: Reuters

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 14 Sep
    Polish juice market on the rise

    Polish juice market on the rise

    Data from research firm Euromonitor reveals that the total value of the Polish juice market in 2016 amounted to PLN 5.5 billion (about Euro 1.29 billion), compared to PLN 5.1 billion (about Euro 1.20 billion) in 2015. Forecasts expect the market’s value to reach PLN 5.8 billion (about Euro 1.36 billion) by the end of 2017, and PLN 6.1 billion (about Euro 1.44 billion) by the end of 2019. Also, according to Euromonitor, in 2016 Maspex was the leader in the juice segment in Poland, followed by juice brands of companies such as Hortex Holding, Jeronimo Martins, Fortuna and Tesco Polska.
    Health trends are said to be a key reason for the steady growth of juice consumption in Poland.

    Source: Fresh Plaza

    By Caroline Calder News
  • 13 Sep
    Shareholders approve Refresco’s acquisition of Cott

    Shareholders approve Refresco’s acquisition of Cott

    In the largest acquisition to-date by the Netherland based company Refresco, shareholders approved the acquisition of their US competitor Cott by a majority of 99.5%. The Dutch company will pay Euro 1 billion for Cott, which manages 29 production facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom (UK). The deal will result in the Refresco group’s turnover increasing immediately by 70 %, from Euro 2.1 to Euro 3.6 billion.

    With 5,500 employees and 6.5 billion litres of soda and fruit juice bottled in 2016, Refresco operates in the Benelux, Finland, France, Germany, the Iberian Peninsula, Italy, Poland, the UK and the US it also works with Aldi, Lidl and other major supermarkets on private labels.

    Source: retaildetail

    By Caroline Calder News
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