A worldwide surplus of orange juice is the reason why state orange growers are earning less money than they did in the mid-1970s, state agriculture officials said. A 90-pound box produces roughly six gallons of orange juice. A worldwide surplus of orange juice is the reason why state orange growers are earning less money than they did in the mid-1970s, state agriculture officials said. A 90-pound box produces roughly six gallons of orange juice. Officials blame record crop growth the past few years in Florida and Brazil for the large inventories.
Brazil is the world's largest producer of oranges.
Brazil put out 108 million gallons by the end of its orange juice season in July, up from 92 million. Robert Barber, the economics director for Florida Citrus Mutual in Lakeland, said the large quantity of orange juice does not necessarily mean consumers will pay less for the product. He said retailers look at overall profit margins and may decide not to lower prices on cheap wholesale items. The grapefruit forecast remained unchanged at 49 million 85-pound boxes. E-mail this story to a friend.