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A juicy proposal

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By SUSAN SALISBURY Cox Newspapers

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 2, 2009

WEST PALM BEACH - Agriculture officials are ready to allow Florida citrus to be shipped for fresh fruit use anywhere, effectively reopening markets blocked for the three years after canker spread throughout the state's citrus industry.

Florida citrus growers have not been permitted to ship fruit to California and other citrus-producing states and territories since 2006. Now, the USDA has reversed its stance in a proposed rule published in the Federal Register this week. The proposal is open to a 60-day comment period, and the USDA could revise it after that.

Florida is the only state known to have citrus canker, a bacterial disease that can cause lesions on fruit. An end to the required federal inspections could save $9 million, the USDA said.

Mark DuBois, operations manager at Callery-Judge Grove in Loxahatchee, said that prior to the ban, the grove shipped 25 percent of its tangerines to California.

"We were effectively quarantined. We had a hard time moving it out," DuBois said. "If this goes through it will help all the fresh fruit producers and packers in Florida."

Under the ban, no fruit that showed any symptoms of canker could be shipped anywhere, and even disease-free fruit could not go to citrus-producing areas.

Ray Brownlee of Plant City is a licensed citrus dealer and transporter in the region. He said the citrus bound for juicing plants in Auburndale and other locations in Florida will not be affected directly by the proposed rule changes.

"What it might do is improve the juicing market by increasing the amount of fresh fruit that is allowed to be shipped out of Florida," Brownlee said. "The price paid to orange growers, transporters and processers might make the market more profitable and healthier in the long run."

Jim Parke, a licensed dealer for Parkesdale Farms in Plant City, like Brownlee hasn't been notified of the proposed rule changes by the USDA at this time.

"A relaxing of the rules could allow smaller dealers in the fresh fruit market, like us, to increase our market share outside of Florida," Parke said. "We might be inclined to get involved in the transporting of fresh citrus. That could be a good thing."

Tribune reporter George H. Newman contributed to this report.

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