Orange Supplier Opts Out of Citrus Business
With your Southeast Regional Ag News, I’m Haylie Shipp. This is the Ag Information Network.
One of the largest orange growers in the United States – Alico Inc – has now announced that, following recent hurricanes and years of battling plant disease, they are making an exodus from the citrus industry.
John Keirnan, President and CEO, say that, “For over a century, Alico has been proud to be one of Florida’s leading citrus producers and a dedicated steward of its agricultural land, but we must now reluctantly adapt to changing environmental and economic realities. Our citrus production has declined approximately 73% over the last ten years, despite significant investments in land, trees and citrus disease treatments, and the current harvest will likely be lower in volume than the previous season.”
In a press release, the company laid out that they own approximately 53,371 acres of land across eight counties in Florida, as well as approximately 48,700 acres of oil, gas and mineral rights in the state.
While saying that they will not spend further capital on citrus operation after the current crop is harvested, they do say that they expect to maintain their commitment to the Florida agriculture industry. It’s estimated that approximately 75% of its current land holdings are likely to remain agriculturally focused for the foreseeable future.
For more: https://www.alicoinc.com/news/detail/1424/alico-inc-announces-strategic-transformation-of
