In Vernon Hollingsworth’s family, the orange harvest has been passed from father to son for more than 150 years, and his east Florida farm has been a source of both pride and concern since he was struck by Hurricane Ian in September, which washed away his harvest .
On this morning in early March, the 62-year-old farmer drives his truck through his meadow orchards, pointing out the storm damage here and there.
“I lost almost my entire harvest,” he explains. “We will have to replant, but we need help for that.”
The hurricane is the latest blow to Florida’s fruit symbol, which is featured on its residents’ license plates.
The southeastern US state is the second largest orange juice producer in the world after Brazil, but has been battling a different problem for the past 17 years: Yellow Dragon Disease, or Huanglongbing (HLB).
This bacterium is transmitted by an insect, the Asian amphipod, and turns the fruit of the affected tree green, making it unfit for consumption. The tree usually dies within a few years.
The illness, and then the damage Ian caused, brought the entire industry to its knees: this season production was expected to be 16.1 million cases (41 kilos each), down 60% from last year.
Photo CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP
Vernon Hollingsworth
It’s one of the worst harvests since the 1930s, according to the US Department of Agriculture.
A University of Florida study estimated losses from the hurricane to the state’s agricultural sector at $1.03 billion, including $247.1 million for citrus alone.
“At the Worst Time”
The situation is all the more difficult for Mr Hollingsworth as this season was looking promising prior to the arrival of Ian.
The grower had also just treated his trees with the antibacterial treatment recommended by the authorities to combat HLB.
“With the new treatment, I noticed that the orange trees were able to bloom and the fruit grew normally. We were there when the hurricane hit. It couldn’t have come at a worse time for Florida citrus,” lamented the grower.
Photo CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP
The company, which employs around fifty full-time workers in addition to seasonal workers, is now expecting complicated months.
Usually, the income from one harvest is used to finance the next. But this year he has hardly any money and his insurance company has not fully covered the damage.
In addition, each transplanted tree takes four years to bear its first fruit.
“It’s really difficult. I’m trying 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 Administration, which regulates the sector, is considering how to help growers who need to replant, says Marisa Zansler, who heads its economic research department.
Photo CHANDAN KHANNA / AFP
An important initiative to support a sector that weighs $6.9 billion in Florida alone and employs 32,500 people, she specifies.
By the time this aid is implemented, the price of orange juice in American supermarkets has skyrocketed and Brazil is taking advantage of the situation.
The South American giant exported 240,000 tons of oranges to the United States this quarter, which is an 82% year-on-year increase, according to official figures.
However, Mr. Hollingsworth does not lose hope during his operation. In fact, he is convinced that if he succeeds in this step, the future looks bright, especially for treatments against HLB.
Anyway: “I have to move on, I don’t know how to do anything else”.