<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;">Lakeland, 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">12.12.12</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The USDA's estimates of the 2012-2013 Florida citrus crop have dropped by more than 5 percent to 146 million boxes. A significant portion of the decrease will take place in early-mid varieties which have declined 7 million boxes to 67 million from an initial October estimate by the USDA, according to a press release. Decreasing from 1 million boxes to 79 million boxes, Valencias took a hit.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/citrus_grove_36636a.jpg" alt="Images 121212" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">“This decrease was not entirely unexpected as we have been hearing reports of severe fruit drop throughout the state,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “The dry weather coupled with intense disease pressure growers are facing is most likely causing the drop.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/kumquat.jpg" alt="Images 121212" /><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">He continues, “I anticipate the decrease in crop size will continue to put upward pressure on fruit pricing.”<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Florida produced 146.6 million boxes of oranges, during the 2011-2012 season.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">USDA now predicts 1.1 million boxes of tangelos, down from 1.2 million in October and 3.8 million boxes of tangerines, down from 4.4 million in October, for Florida specialty fruit.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Down from October’s estimate of 20.3 million boxes, Florida will harvest 18 million boxes of grapefruit.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://flcitrusmutual.com/news/pr_estdec2012.aspx" target="_new">USDA</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
