Going "Green" Hurting Florida's Citrus Farmers

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TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) - Going "green' is not good for Florida's citrus farmers.

A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences survey found a vast majority of the state's citrus industry is being impacted by a bacterial disease known as citrus greening or Huanglongbing.

University researchers found that 80 percent of the citrus trees currently in operation across that state are infected with the disease that decreases production, reduces fruit size and quality, and causes higher tree mortality.

"Further proof of greening's widespread destruction of Florida citrus," Agriculture Commission Adam Putnam tweeted Wednesday.

Growers also reported that operations in central Florida have experienced a 12-percent higher "yield loss" because of the disease than those in southwest Florida, according to the report.

The report comes as the U.S. Department of Agriculture is currently forecasting this year's Florida orange harvest will be enough to fill an estimated 76 million, 90-pound boxes - which would make it among the worst harvests in last five decades.

"Since (greening) was first found in 2005, orange acreage and yield in Florida have decreased by 26 percent and 42 percent, respectively," a report based on the UF survey found. "Orange production dropped from 242 million to 104.6 million boxes in 2014."

Florida orange growers filled 96.94 million boxes during the 2014-2015 season. Gov. Rick Scott recently backed a group of influential growers who have called for the state's Department of Citrus to slash operations and reduce the "box" tax that growers pay.

The News Service of Florida contributed to this report.