California citrus shipments for the 2021-22 season will be down due to the severe drought.
California Citrus Mutual report this season will definitely have a lower crop.
The USDA predicts there will be a 14% decline in its orange measurement survey from September and some observers feel this estimate may be understating the dip in crop production.
CCM believes there will still be plenty of citrus shipments, noting the smaller 2021-22 crop will be much more manageable for grower-shippers.
The 2020-21 navel crop lasted longer than usual because of a weaker export market. The 2021-22 navel season got underway the last half of October.
Multiple factors have led to a lighter crop load, Creamer said.
The depth of impacts on the water shortage and the drought vary from hardly any impact to very, very drastic impact, depending on where growers are located and their surface water rights and the location of their water district.
Mandarin output also is expected to be lower in 2021-22, while lemons may see increased volume. Seedless lemons represent a small but growing segment of the industry.
Based on early estimates, mandarin supplies could be as much as 50% lower compared with a year ago.
Mandarins are as much as 70% down on existing fruit-bearing trees, but that is partially offset by new bearing acreage coming on.
Roughly 75% of the California citrus crop is grown in the Central Valley, with some lemons and mandarins produced in the coastal regions. Lemons and grapefruit are primarily raised in the desert growing areas.