By Michael Bliss, Director, Grower Services
The 2024-2025 citrus season is approaching the halfway point in harvests. This season has provided many hurdles and challenges for growers, packers, shippers and marketers. It’s nothing new, as the industry is used to it now. But here at California Citrus Mutual, it’s important that we educate the industry as we navigate these waters together.
Throughout California’s citrus history, orange juice has never been something worth noting. It’s been at the bottom of many returns. A forgettable number. Something many glance over. However, over the past two seasons, that has likely changed.
Orange Juice prices have risen to all-time highs. Why? Mainly because of the dreaded HLB disease that has left major citrus-producing areas in turmoil. This fear is also why California Citrus Mutual puts so much emphasis on HLB/ACP research when the threat sometimes can feel “out of sight and out of mind.”
With HLB causing the supply of orange juice to drop globally, prices of current and future contracts have increased. As an industry leader, this new dynamic in the juice market means we must do our best to inform our members about how this impacts the fresh market and the future of growing citrus.
This is why we are hosting Dr. Marisa Zansler, an Economist from the Florida Department of Citrus, at our Citrus Showcase on March 12. Dr. Zansler, a 20-year veteran of citrus and juice markets, will be our guest speaker at 8 a.m. This discussion is free for attendees. We feel it’s critical that the industry become more educated on this changing aspect.
As fresh prices continue to teeter with so many variables like demand, imports, and store shelf space vs competition from other fruits and vegetables, there are countless hurdles we continue to work to balance in favor of the industry. However, educating our hard-working growers to keep their operations running at peak performance is always a top priority. It’s part of the reason we were founded back in 1977.
We hope that this discussion empowers growers in 2025. Please stop by our Citrus Showcase on March 12 to say hello. I’d love to learn how else we can help you and your citrus operations.
Register for the event here.
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