Florida orange crop down 16 percent from previous year

The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday pegged the final 2015-16 Florida orange crop at 81.5 million boxes, a 16 percent decrease from the 2014-15 crop.

“This season marked another challenging year for Florida citrus growers who even under the toughest circumstances always produce the best citrus in the world,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “In a couple of short months our new season will begin, and I remain optimistic that growers will continue to persevere in the face of HLB, or citrus greening.”

The Florida citrus industry creates a $10.8 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 62,000 people and covering about 500,000 acres.

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 2:19 PM with the headline "Florida orange crop down 16 percent from previous year."