Report: Freeze cost California citrus about $441M
A citrus industry group estimates a week of freezing temperatures in early December cost California’s $2 billion citrus industry about $441 million.
California Citrus Mutual released its estimate on Monday. It says the damage was confined to the state’s Central Valley, where mandarin, navel and lemon crops were lost during seven consecutive nights of freezing temperatures in early December.
About 20 percent of the mandarin crop had already been harvested, but about 40 percent of the remaining oranges, or $150 million in revenue, were lost.
The navel crop did a little better with a 30 percent loss, though the dollar value of the damage was significantly higher at $260 million.
About $24 million in lemons also were lost.
