HURRICANES AFTERMATH World's markets will feel damage to Fla. citrus crops

Crop damage from hurricanes in Florida is estimated at about $1 billion.
VERO BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- Hiroshi Ueda surveyed hundreds of half-ripe grapefruits littering a grove in the heart of Florida's citrus-growing district.
"That of course is going to affect grocery markets in Japan," Ueda, a Japanese fresh fruit exporter, said as he photographed the destruction.
By some estimates, Hurricane Frances ruined between half to two-thirds of Florida's $205 million grapefruit crop, a large portion of which is exported to Japan. Frances, along with Hurricane Charley three weeks earlier, may have caused between $800 million and $1 billion worth of damage to Florida's $6.4 billion worth of crops.
Florida produces about three-quarters of the nation's grapefruit, and the United States dominates the world grapefruit market, making any fruit losses felt acutely on the world market.
Estimated losses
State agricultural officials were hoping to get federal help since preliminary estimates by the state Department of Agriculture put losses from the two hurricanes at:
U$3 to $5 million dollars for dairy. About 300,000 gallons of milk worth $500,000 had to be dumped because it couldn't be transported during Hurricane Frances.
U$5 to $6 million for clams, oysters and tropical fish.
U$30 million loss for winter-market vegetables that will have to be replanted in Palm Beach County and southwest Florida.
U$200 million for citrus from Charley, and tens of millions of dollars more from Frances.
U$200 to $500 million for timber in north Florida, mainly from Frances.
U$350 million to $400 million for plant nurseries, which in the past three years have surpassed citrus as Florida's largest cash crop.
"Some of these nurseries, while the plants are still there, they have been beat up so badly that they can't be sold anywhere," said Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson.
About 40 percent of the 15 million 85-pound boxes of fresh grapefruit produced in Florida went to Japan alone last season. By all accounts, this upcoming grapefruit season, which begins next month, was supposed to produce one of the sweetest, highest quality crops in several years. Growers were expecting better prices after several years of a steady decline, especially for grapefruit that is turned into juice.
A decimated Florida crop may force fresh fruit exporters like Ueda to look elsewhere, such as South Africa, Israel and Cuba, to make up the difference.
Offering reassurance
Many grapefruit growers have been talking to exporters to reassure them there will be a crop to harvest.
"We'll do everything we can to meet their demand and keep up with those relationships that we've had," said Andy LaVigne, vice president and general manager of Florida Citrus Mutual, the state's largest growers group.
Kevin Bynum, who manages 15,000 acres of oranges and grapefruit in Indian River, Okeechobee and St. Lucie counties, estimated that he suffered as much as an 80 percent loss of his grapefruit crop.
But the damage isn't over. More fruit may drop from his trees, and root damage may occur if the 12 inches of rain that fell in the area isn't pumped out of the groves within three days.
On the upside, the fruit size of the remaining grapefruit on trees should be larger because they have more room to grow. In addition, more of the upcoming season's grapefruit will be sold as fresh fruit, which earn higher prices than grapefruit turned into juice. In general, about 60 percent of Florida's grapefruit crop goes to juice.
The majority of Bynum's grapefruit is shipped to Japan, where the fruit can cost $1 a piece in grocery stores.
Even if fruit is left on his trees, they may not be worth picking.
"When it gets down to only 20 percent left on the tree, you don't even know if it's economical to pick it," Bynum said.