Hurricane Ian Caused Over $1 billion in Damages
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I’m Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
A University of Florida report says Hurricane Ian caused just over $1 billion in agricultural production losses. The biggest hits were to the citrus industry, vegetable growers, and melon producers.
The new report from the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences set the estimated overall production losses at $1.03 billion. That number includes $247.1 million in damages for citrus growers, $204.6 million for vegetable and melon growers, and $195.4 million for the nursery and greenhouse industries.
“The main takeaway is that there was a very significant production loss,” says Christa Court, the director of the IFAS Economic Impact Analysis Program. “These are estimates, but some of the crops aren’t at their final harvest stage.” As a result, she also says it remains to be seen what actually happens when they get to that final harvest.
The report also estimates that field and row crops sustained $130.2 million in production losses from the hurricane.
