Citrus industry benefits from improved world prices

There is good news to report from Belize’s citrus belt, as prices on the world market continue to climb and forecasts indicate they should remain strong for at least the next couple of years. The price of grapefruit, which reached an all-time high last season at around nine dollars and eighty-two cents per box, is expected to stay near that level, while the projected price for oranges has risen dramatically. Citrus Products of Belize Limited is projecting that growers will receive total payment of around eight dollars per box of oranges, an improvement of around thirty percent over last season. While the total crop will fall about a million boxes short of last year’s record seven point nine million boxes, the higher prices should result in revenues exceeding 2005. Reasons for the rise in world prices include several years of hurricane damage to groves in Florida and Cuba, along with smaller than expected production and lower quality crop in Brazil. Industry officials are calling the current season in Belize the best in a decade.