US (CA): Navel orange production expected to be up
According to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture report, California’s production of Navel oranges for the 2012-2013 season is expected to be higher than last year’s crop. This season’s Navel forecast is 93 million cartons with the vast majority of that expected to be grown in the Central San Joaquin Valley.The forecast for this year’s Navel crop in the Central Valley is expected to be five million cartons higher than last year’s production. Though that’s three million cartons lower than production achieved during the 2010-2011 season, if the forecast pans out, it would be the second-highest total for the Central Valley since the 2005-2006 season.
The higher production in the Central Valley is expected to coincide with anticipated gains in both trees per acre and in fruit set per tree. The average number of trees per acre last season was 133 in the Central Valley while it’s expected to improve to 134 for 2012-2013. Likewise, the average set per tree in the region last season was 318 while it’s forecast to jump to 344 this time around.