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Florida citrus is cleared for travel

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By NEIL JOHNSON

njohnson@tampatrib.com

Published: October 23, 2009

TAMPA - A federal decision that took effect Thursday opened markets in five states and five U.S. territories to fresh Florida citrus, which was barred three years ago because of fears that shipments would spread canker.

Before the U.S. Department of Agriculture imposed the quarantine, Florida growers shipped 1.2 million cartons of fresh citrus annually to the affected areas, said Andrew Meadows, spokesman for Florida Citrus Mutual.

A carton holds 40 pounds of citrus.

That amounted to about 3 percent of the shipments that left the state during the 2008-09 growing season. Fresh fruit accounts for about 5 percent of Florida's citrus crop.

"This is a big boost for our fresh fruit market," Meadows said.

The ban covered fruit shipped as gifts and fresh oranges, grapefruit and tangerines sent to retail markets in the citrus growing areas.

Lifting the ban opens Arizona, California, Louisiana, Texas, Hawaii, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands to fresh fruit shipments.

Research since the ban was imposed revealed that properly sanitized fruit will not spread the canker bacteria. The Florida citrus industry lobbied heavily for the USDA to lift its quarantine once the research was verified, Meadows said.
Citrus canker is not harmful to people or animals but affects all varieties of citrus trees, from sour oranges to tangerines.

State and federal agriculture agencies spent 10 years battling the latest outbreak of citrus canker to hit Florida. The effort destroyed 16 million citrus trees, from groves to backyards.

Reporter Neil Johnson can be reached at (813) 259-7731.

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