If you are in the habit of having a glass of orange juice with your breakfast, it is likely that you will be paying more per carton this year as citrus disease, hurricanes, and numerous other factors have contributed to the decline of orange production in Florida. Orange juice sales have already dropped over the past few years, likely in part due to the influx of new drink products on the market every week, but also due to the rapidly increasing prices of the product. An economist with the Agricultural Department states that the juice "has gone up 80 cents per gallon" over the past year alone, and prices are expected to rise even more due to the recent devastation.
One of the largest culprits, citrus canker disease, has destroyed thousands of acres of fruit-bearing trees, reportedly leaving oranges with brown, raised lesions. Crops in California aren't faring much better after suffering a devastating freeze earlier this year. In fact, nationwide orange production is estimated to be down approximately 18 percent overall this year.
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