In Vernon Hollingsworth’s family, the orange crop has been passed down from father to son for more than 150 years, and his farm in East Florida has been both a source of pride and concern ever since he passed of Hurricane Ian in September, which washed away his crop.
On this morning in early March, the 62-year-old farmer travels through his orchards on his truck, indicating here and there the damage caused by the storm.
“I lost almost all of my harvest,” he explains. “We’re going to have to replant, but we need help to do that.”
The hurricane is the latest blow to Florida’s fruit symbol, which is displayed on the license plates of its residents.
The southeastern state of the United States is the world’s second largest producer of orange juice, after Brazil, but has been battling for 17 years already with another problem: yellow dragon disease, or Huanglongbing (HLB).
This bacterium is transmitted by an insect, the Asian citrus psyllid, and turns the fruits of the affected tree green, which become unfit for consumption. Most often, the tree dies within a few years.
The illness and then the damage caused by Ian brought the whole industry to its knees: this season, production should be 16.1 million crates (41 kilos each), 60% less than last year .
It is one of the worst harvests since the 1930s, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
A study by the University of Florida estimated the losses caused by the hurricane at $1.03 billion for the state’s agricultural sector, including $247.1 million for citrus fruits alone.
– “At the worst time” –
The situation is all the more difficult for Mr. Hollingsworth as this season looked promising, before the arrival of Ian.
The producer had also just treated his trees with the anti-bacterial treatment recommended by the authorities in order to fight against HLB.
“With the new treatment, I found that the orange trees could flower and the fruit grow normally. We were there when the hurricane hit. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for citrus fruits in Florida,” laments the ‘farmer.
Its operation, which has around fifty full-time employees in addition to seasonal workers, is now expecting complicated months.
Usually, the income generated by one harvest is used to finance the next one. But this year, he has hardly any money coming in, and his insurance did not fully cover the damage.
In addition, each replanted tree will take four years to produce its first fruits.
“It’s really difficult. I try to do my best but it would be great to get help” from the State of Florida or the federal government, “we really need it”, assures Vernon Hollingsworth.
The Florida citrus agency, responsible for regulating the sector, is considering how to help producers who have to replant, says Marisa Zansler, who heads its economic research division.
An essential initiative to support a sector which weighs 6.9 billion dollars, in Florida alone, and which employs 32,500 people, she specifies.
Pending the implementation of this aid, the price of orange juice has soared in American supermarkets, and Brazil is taking advantage of the situation.
The South American giant thus exported 240,000 tonnes of oranges to the United States this quarter, up 82% over one year, according to official data.
In his operation, however, Mr. Hollingsworth does not lose hope. He is even convinced that, if he succeeds in taking this step, the future looks bright, especially with treatments against HLB.
Anyway, “I have to go on, I don’t know how to do anything else”.
