KISSIMMEE, Fla. — Amid predictions it could face yet another drop in production, Florida’s citrus industry is hoping renewed funding from lawmakers will help citrus growers rebound.

The citrus industry faces a series of challenges, including rapid development, disease and rising operating costs.

“This is by far the worse thing we have ever dealt with,” said Glenn Beck, a fourth-generation citrus grower.

The $9 billion industry is being hit hard by citrus disease specifically. 

At a high, Florida was producing 244 million boxes of citrus a year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts production could drop 11% in 2022, to approximately 46 million boxes.

As a part of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ 2022 budget proposal, the governor is asking lawmakers to approve $29.2 million for the citrus industry.

The funding would go toward citrus disease research, the Citrus Health Response program and consumer awareness marketing campaigns.

PODCAST: Is The Citrus Industry Being Squeezed Out? Listen to this episode of “Central Florida: Beyond the Soundbite” 

Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus, told Spectrum News that while growers have learned to adapt to the many challenges they face, demand for orange juice keeps increasing, as COVID-19 is also contributing to more people being health-conscious.

Florida is the largest orange juice producer in the United States, and is ranked second in the world.

“This industry has value to this state, whether a grower or not, and it would be awful to see it go away, you know, succumb to another country with lower production costs than we have,” Beck said.