TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its monthly citrus crop forecast for the 2017-2018 season:

“Florida's iconic citrus industry and its growers continue to struggle with the unprecedented damage caused by Hurricane Irma. This damage, combined with the cumulative impacts of citrus greening, leaves Florida's growers in desperate need of support. I will continue to work with Governor Scott and leaders in Washington to get Florida's growers the relief they need to rebuild and replant.”

The USDA's forecast today of 46 million boxes of oranges for the 2017-2018 season, unchanged from the December estimate, is down 8 million boxes from the 54 million boxes predicted at the start of the season.

In the wake of Hurricane Irma, Commissioner Putnam announced that Florida citrus sustained more than $760 million in damages. In the weeks following Hurricane Irma, Commissioner Putnam joined Governor Rick Scott in Washington D.C to discuss the agricultural damage and to request federal assistance with Florida's Congressional Delegation.