Packing Charges
2023/24 Average Packing Charges for Florida Fresh Citrus
In this report, we summarize the data collected from Florida fresh citrus packers regarding their packing charges during the 2023/24 season. This season three packinghouses participated in the survey including operations in the Ridge and Indian River regions. The average of their responses was computed to obtain the estimates presented below. It is worth noting that the estimates correspond to packing charges, not packing costs. These estimates are useful for computing on-tree prices from delivered-in prices, which in turn are useful for computing growers’ economic returns. The charges by citrus variety are shown in Table 1. For grapefruit, the 2023/24 average Packing Charge, Industry Assessment, and Sales Charge were $7.068, $0.192, and $0.617 per carton, respectively, whereas for oranges, the charges were $7.568, $0.192, and $0.617 per carton, respectively. The charges for tangelos were $7.803, $0.178, and $0.600 per carton, respectively, and for tangerines, they were $8.578, $0.195, and $0.617 per carton, respectively. The Total Packing Charge by variety is calculated by adding across those three categories. Table 1 also shows the estimated charges for Drenching, Packinghouse Eliminations, and Hauling Charge for Eliminations. The charges for Drenching were $0.300 per field box for grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines, whereas for tangelos they were $0.250. The charges for Packinghouse Eliminations for grapefruit, oranges, tangelos, and tangerines were $0.893, $0.883, $0.940, and $1.340 per field box, respectively. Industry stakeholders have been facing multiple challenges due to Huanglongbing (HLB, citrus greening), including decreasing yield and production, lower quality and fruit size, and higher tree mortality rates. As a consequence of the decrease in the state’s supply of fresh citrus, the number of packinghouses has declined significantly in recent years. The estimates in this report document the changes in packing charges as the industry adapts to remain profitable.
Archived Packing Charges
*no data available
| 2024/25* | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2019/20 |
| 2018/19 | 2017/18 | 2016/17 | 2015/16 | 2014/15 | 2013/14* |
| 2012/13* | 2011/12 | 2010/11 | 2009/10 | 2008/09 | 2007/08 |
| 2006/07 | 2005/06 | 2004/05 | 2003/04 | 2002/03 |