Congressman Adam Putnam made the following statement in response to the US Dept. of Agriculture estimate this morning that Florida’s citrus production would fall by 16 percent compared to last season.

">“The low estimate should help growers by lifting cash market prices, but this number reflects a long-term loss of acreage due to development and disease,” said Putnam.  “This is troubling, and all the more reason to press forward with aggressive research to meet the existential threat posed by citrus greening. A continued decline in acreage will impact processing and the economy of scale throughout the industry. A robust, homegrown citrus industry is better for the grower and the consumer."

">The forecast for all Florida oranges is 136 million boxes, down 16 percent from last season. Early, midseason, and navel varieties in Florida are forecast at 69 million boxes, 18 percent lower than last season. And Florida Valencia oranges are projected to yield 67 million boxes, a drop of 14 percent from the 2008-09 crop.

Since 2001, Putnam has represented Florida’s 12^th Congressional District, which includes most of Polk County, the largest citrus producing county in Florida, and portions of Hillsborough and Osceola counties.