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Reuters Article

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'N')EW YORK (Reuters) - A surprisingly small Florida citrus crop could spark a surge in juice prices, especially with uncertainty over a drought that has struck the only other major citrus supplier in Brazil, analysts said.
...

"The drought problem is real. There's an effect on this crop and a possible effect on the next one because trees should be flowering and they aren't", Ademerval Garcia, president of Brazil's Orange Exporters Industry (Abecitrus), said last week.

This region grows around 60 percent of the state's output. Sao Paulo provides half of the world supply.

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I don't know about the California crop but I wouldn't dare bet against a freeze in Florida. Happened last winter...right?

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$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PeakingAroundtheCorner', 'I') don't know about the California crop but I wouldn't dare bet against a freeze in Florida. Happened last winter...right?

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$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'H')ope you transplanted that sprout, btw. Got to get that root growing long!

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You're welcome.

Here's a link to an article on last winter's freeze in Cal:
http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/94775.html

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'G')ov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked the federal government Tuesday for disaster aid because of an ongoing cold snap that has destroyed nearly $1 billion worth of California citrus, and industry officials said shoppers will feel the sting through higher prices for oranges, lemons and other produce.

The governor declared a state of emergency in 10 counties, including Kern, because of continuing freezing cold temperatures.

Visiting a Fresno orange grove, Schwarzenegger said he was asking the U.S. government for disaster status, which would allow California to seek aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Small Business Administration to offset losses to growers and other businesses.

"This is not just about the crop this year. It could also have a devastating effect next year," Schwarzenegger said. "My administration will make sure that we do everything we can to help the farmers and workers get through this."

Nearly every winter crop is affected by the freeze, from avocados to strawberries to fresh-cut flowers, but it's the state's citrus crop that stands to take the biggest economic hit.