Orange juice industry in crisis
Florida’s orange growers and the orange juice industry have a problem, and it’s called Huanglongbing, or HLB. An incurable bacterial disease affecting citrus trees, HLB causes them to grow undersized and bitter fruits before causing the trees to die. Combined with hurricanes, HLB has delivered a serious blow to the production of oranges.
With an estimated eighty percent of the state’s citrus trees infected, Florida’s Department of Citrus says the 2020-21 season produced barely a third of the oranges from a decade prior. Unsurprisingly, the already rising cost of orange juice will climb higher while demand will likely fall. To combat HLB, University of Florida scientists are working to develop citrus trees that can tolerate or resist the disease.
Orange juice lovers will have to decide to pay higher prices or go without, but the orange growers and their employees will be the ones most impacted.
Learn more about Florida’s orange and citrus crisis in this article from Darkhorse Press.
https://darkhorsepressnow.com/the-decline-of-the-florida-orange-why-oran...
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Slipstream
If scientists are developing new trees that can withstand the disease, it sounds like they feel that's an easier solution than getting rid of the disease. This disease is also affecting several other states including California.
Right now, part of Orange County, CA, is under quarantine because of the Oriental Fruit Fly. Happy Harvesters can't pick there until the quarantine is lifted.