<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Naples, FL</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By ANUK Staff<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">4.22.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Florida growers say that they are faring much better than they did a few years ago, despite the fact that citrus greening is still affecting orange groves.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“We have it managed, we don’t have it under control,” said citrus manager Forrest Taylor, who manages four groves in Collier County.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/florida042213body.jpg" alt="images042213" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Taylor said the groves have had more fruit drop early than what is considered normal, but it’s not as bad as in recent years.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Multicounty Citrus Agent, Mongi Zekri, said every grower in the region noticed the early drop in fruit. Growers believe that the early fruit drop this season was caused by citrus greening, but there are other factors, Zekri said.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Zekri said the Florida citrus industry lost about 20 million boxes of fruit this season through fruit drop mainly becaue of citrus greening, but also due to other factors such as drought and harsh weather conditions this past fall and winter.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>“Most of the people are attributing the major factor to be citrus greening,” Zekri said.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>This $150 million loss accounts for about 20 to 30 percent of the crop lost due to fruit drop, according to Naples News.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The 2012-13 orange season forecast for all types of oranges was 138 million boxes, down 1 percent from last month and 6 percent from last season’s production, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture statement released earlier this month. The total included 67 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges and 71 million boxes of Valencia oranges.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href=" http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2013/apr/22/florida-citrus-oranges-season-greening-juice/"target="_new">Florida Citrus Update </a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
