The U.S. Department of Agriculture released an optimistic navel orange prediction for 2020. The National Agricultural Statistics Service’s California Navel Orange Objective Measurement forecasts 84 million boxes from the golden state this year. That’s down 5 percent from the final production last year, but well over last year’s forecast of 74 million boxes.
The survey showed a similar average fruit set per tree for 2020. Fresno County‘s average was back up to 289 per tree after last year’s dip. Tulare County stayed relatively similar, and Kern County‘s dropped to 298 average sets per tree. The report said that the Central Valley of California should account for 81 of the 84 million boxes of navel oranges.
It’s important to note that this is just the initial measurement for the crop, and final numbers can widely vary. For example, last season was projected at 74 million boxes and finished at 86 million boxes. The projections have also been way over on the numbers. During the 2013-2014 season, the objective measurement forecast 85 million boxes, and the season finished at just 74 million boxes. The positive takeaway from the report is the similar average fruit set per tree in the Central Valley compared to last season.
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