Some good news for Florida’s battered citrus industry -- retail sales have spiked in recent weeks.
Consumers are loading up on orange juice during the coronavirus pandemic.
Year-over-year retail sales were up 10 percent during the four-week period ending March 14th -- sales were up 40 percent during the last week of the period.
Andrew Meadows of Florida Citrus Mutual says the boost off-sets restaurant losses for the state’s iconic crop, which has been decimated by citrus greening disease and a competitive beverage market.
“It is heartening for us to know that people still see orange juice as a significant source of vitamin c that will boost the immune system, and that is what people are looking for right now.”
Citrus is the leading crop in Florida, which ranks second behind Brazil in oranges for juice. Production here is down by nearly 70 percent from the industry peak some 15 years ago.
