The freezing temperatures in Florida this month added to the
woes of citrus fruit growers and processors already struggling
to fight the spread of crop disease. According to early
anecdotal evidence cold weather could have wiped out 10 per cent
of the crop for the season. The full extent of the damage will
only become clear when the USDA publishes its report in February
but the futures market has already given its verdict. On January
11, the price of frozen orange juice concentrate fell 13 percent
to $1.3186 a pound on the ICE Futures US exchange. Prices
recovered because the weather had not been as bad as some had
feared and forecast. But the market reaction may give a
misleading picture of the reality on the ground for the Florida
citrus industry. Kristen Gunter, a spokesperson for the Florida
Citrus Processors Association, said the cold weather comes in
the context of weakening production in the Sunshine State.
Gunter said harvests have been hit over the last couple of years
by the emergence of Citrus Gree