The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) maintained that the budget and tax rate will likely be set in November.

The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) is an executive agency of Florida tasked with the promotion, protection, and regulation of the Florida Citrus industry. The FDOC tax rate and budget are usually decided upon by the end of October, according to a Citrus Industry article, but this year has presented some challenges in setting the FDOC budget and rate of tax for citrus growers. See the details below.

Delayed Citrus Tax Rate

According to the article, The Florida Citrus Commission maintained that the tax rate will likely be set at a November 20th meeting. A number of issues have contributed to the lateness in setting the budget and tax. These issues include:

  • The high prices for juice oranges that have been seen in past years are not expected to continue.
  • Many growers report that they are receiving no offers for their current juice orange crops.
  • Many growers are dealing with no profits or even losses due to lower production and high grove costs due to citrus greening.
  • Declining sales of orange juice.
  • Increased imports of orange juice.

The FDOC’s annual Florida Citrus Outlook maintained that “Overall on-tree revenues are projected to decline as the Florida citrus industry continues to face the challenges associated with a decline in distribution (sales) and increased availability from other sources…Total fresh and processed on-tree revenue for oranges, grapefruit and specialty citrus is projected at $733.1 million in (the) 2019–20 season, a decline of 15 percent compared to the preliminary estimate from the 2018–19 season.”

Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.