The Citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

 industry in the Caribbean is a major one in the Caribbean. Citrus

Citrus

Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...

 fruit

Fruit

In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...

s consists of orange

Orange (fruit)

An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus × sinensis and its fruit. It is the most commonly grown tree fruit in the world....

s, pineapple

Pineapple

Pineapple is the common name for a tropical plant and its edible fruit, which is actually a multiple fruit consisting of coalesced berries. It was given the name pineapple due to its resemblance to a pine cone. The pineapple is by far the most economically important plant in the Bromeliaceae...

s, grapefruit

Grapefruit

The grapefruit , is a subtropical citrus tree known for its sour fruit, an 18th-century hybrid first bred in Barbados. When found, it was named the "forbidden fruit"; it has also been misidentified with the pomelo or shaddock , one of the parents of this hybrid, the other being sweet orange The...

, tangerine

Tangerine

__notoc__The tangerine is an orange-colored citrus fruit which is closely related to the Mandarin orange . Taxonomically, it should probably be formally named as a subspecies or variety of Citrus reticulata; further work seems to be required to ascertain its correct scientific name...

s, lime

Lime (fruit)

Lime is a term referring to a number of different citrus fruits, both species and hybrids, which are typically round, green to yellow in color, 3–6 cm in diameter, and containing sour and acidic pulp. Limes are a good source of vitamin C. Limes are often used to accent the flavors of foods and...

s, and lemon

Lemon

The lemon is both a small evergreen tree native to Asia, and the tree's ellipsoidal yellow fruit. The fruit is used for culinary and non-culinary purposes throughout the world – primarily for its juice, though the pulp and rind are also used, mainly in cooking and baking...

s. The Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 countries which export

Export

The term export is derived from the conceptual meaning as to ship the goods and services out of the port of a country. The seller of such goods and services is referred to as an "exporter" who is based in the country of export whereas the overseas based buyer is referred to as an "importer"...

 citrus fruit are Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

, Jamaica

Jamaica

Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...

, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...

, Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe

Guadeloupe is an archipelago located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres and a population of 400,000. It is the first overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. As with the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe...

, Dominica

Dominica

Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...

, Martinique

Martinique

Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...

 & Trinidad & Tobago.

Conditions for growth

• Temperatures = Warm temperatures averaging 27 °C
• Rainfall = Rainfall averaging 2,000 mm per annum is best suitable
• Fertility = A high degree of soil fertility is required. It requires a high pH
  PH
  In chemistry, pH is a measure of the acidity or basicity of an aqueous solution. Pure water is said to be neutral, with a pH close to 7.0 at . Solutions with a pH less than 7 are said to be acidic and solutions with a pH greater than 7 are basic or alkaline...
  
  level (7.5-8.2. chemical and organic fertilizers are sometimes used to improve fertility
  Fertility
  Fertility is the natural capability of producing offsprings. As a measure, "fertility rate" is the number of children born per couple, person or population. Fertility differs from fecundity, which is defined as the potential for reproduction...
  
  .
• Soil = A clayey loam
  Loam
  Loam is soil composed of sand, silt, and clay in relatively even concentration . Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils, have better infiltration and drainage than silty soils, and are easier to till than clay soils...
  
   which must be well-drained is most suitable. Soils must be loose and friable and rich in mineral elements.
• Sheltered Location = Sheltered locations are required as strong winds or storms and hurricanes blow away blossom
  Blossom
  In botany, blossom is a term given to the flowers of stone fruit trees and of some other plants with a similar appearance that flower profusely for a period of time in spring...
  
  s, uproot plants and destroy the trees.

Processing & export

The industry is an important one is it provides foreign revenue. In Belize, citrus fruit formed 14.1% of the exports in 1998 & brought in BZD$43.16 million dollars. The Caribbean exports citrus fruits in various forms such as in its normal form or processed into canned juices, canned segments, canned fruit and essential oil

Oil

An oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....

s. Citrus products are exported to the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and other countries.

Belize

Citrus production, along with sugar and bananas are the main agricultural exports. The main producing areas are the Pomona Valley and the Stann Creek Valley in the Stann Creek District

Stann Creek District

Stann Creek District is a district in the south east region of Belize. According to the 2010 census, the district had a population of 32,166 people...

. The 1999 output included 170,000 tons of oranges and 41,000 tons of grapefruit. About 40 square kilometres are under cultivation in the Stann Creek Valley with grapefruit occupying 25% of this area. Citrus is canned in the Stann Creek Valley where there are two processing plants. The harvesting season extends from August until the early part of the following year.

Jamaica

Citrus production in Jamaica is not a large industry like bauxite or sugar but it yields enough for local consumption and export. The main producing areas are the weathered limestone soil in the parishes of Clarendon, St Catherine, St Mary, St Ann, Manchester and Westmoreland, between elevations of 1000 feet (304.8 m) to 2500 feet (762 m). There are processing plants in Bog Walk

Bog Walk

Bog Walk is a town in the parish of Saint Catherine, Jamaica...

 and Kingston

Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...

. The harvest

Harvest

Harvest is the process of gathering mature crops from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper...

 season runs from November to April.

Dominica

Citrus production in Dominica is a major export, also with bananas and coconuts. The main producing areas are in the Layou River Valley and on the southwest coast. In 1999, 21,000 tons of grapefruit, 1,000 tons of lemons and limes and 8,000 tons of oranges were produced.

Problems facing the citrus industry

Diseases: Among these are the Melanose(Diaporthe citri), Anthracnose(Glomerella cingulata), Gummosis, Scab(Elsinoë fawcettii) & Greasy Spot(Mycosphaerella citri). Diseases lead to a shortfall in production.

Pests: Some common pests attacking citrus plants are the Citrus Root Weevil, Rust Mite, Aphids, Mealy Bug, Pine Tree Wood Borer, Red Spider Mite & various scale insects.

Hurricanes: Citrus groves exposed to strong winds or hurricanes are subject to destruction. In 1974, Tropical Storm Alma destroyed extensive areas off citrus cultivation in the Central Range in Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...

. In Dominica

Dominica

Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...

, 60% of the lime trees were destroyed in the hurricanes of 1979 and 1980. Hurricanes are a yearly and constant threat.

Marketing: Lack of proper storage facilities for citrus has tended to restrict exports at the crop is perishable. Inadequate marketing systems result in farmers remaining with their crops unsold, leading to rotting and wastage.

Shipping: This has been a major constraint to inter-island trade in the Caribbean since the crop is perishable. It limits the development of the industry. Small boats ply sporadically between the islands but these are mainly structured for dry cargo.

Low Prices: Some farmers feel that the prices offered for citrus through the Marketing Boards cannot compensate for their over head expenses like labor, fertilizers and transport. On the other hand, export prices have not been high enough to attract farmers to sell their fruit in large volumes to processors.