Florida citrus growers facing the threat of HLB will now have some additional help from the federal government.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it has expanded its Tree Assistance Program that will allow Florida producers to remove and replace trees as they decline from Huanglongbing, a tree disease more commonly known as citrus greening.
“USDA is investing in research and a variety of strategies to combat citrus greening over the long term,” said USDA secretary Tom Vilsack, in a release. “In the meantime, though, this support will help ensure growers are not wiped out in the short term. We must ensure that Florida’s citrus industry can weather this storm while a more permanent solution to this problem is developed. They key to the citrus industry’s survival is getting new trees in the ground, and we’re doing everything we can to help with that.”
Through the program, citrus growers will be eligible for up to 50 percent of the cost of the diseased trees removal, as well as site preparation. They also can receive 65 percent of the cost of replanting and labor, and 65 percent of the cost for seedlings.
Losses have to have occurred on or after Oct. 1, 2011, and individual stands must have sustained a mortality loss of 15 percent after adjustment for normal mortality, according to a release.
Florida’s citrus industry contributes $9 billion per year to the state’s economy, and supports about 76,000 jobs, according to the USDA. Florida accounts for 63 percent of all U.S. citrus production.
HLB is a bacterial disease that spreads internally throughout the plant. The disease, which is transmitted from infected plants to healthy ones by the Asian citrus psyllid, causes fruit to ripen unevenly and become lopsided, visibly smaller, and bitter-tasting. The bacteria do not pose a health threat to humans, livestock or pets, officials said, but the effect on the fruit crops is devastating.
Earlier this year, the USDA announced $25 million in funding for research and cooperative extension service projects to combat HLB, which all comes from the 2014 Farm Bill. The USDA allocated another $6.5 million to several other projects throughout the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group.
For more information, growers can contact their local Farm Service Agency office at Go.USA.gov/pYV3.
