FORT MYERS -- One of Florida's biggest landowners is souring on the citrus industry.
Fort Myers based Alico says growing citrus is no longer viable, and it's switching to other crops as part of a "refocus", shifting some land to development. The company says crop production has dropped 73 percent over the past decade.
Alico controls more than 50,000 acres, and says most of the land used for citrus groves will be repurposed for other crops, with about 10 percent earmarked for development over the next five years.
While a company release points to damage from recent hurricanes, Florida Polytechnic University professor Robert Kryger says greening disease is the underlying cause. "The trees are particularly sensitive to hurricanes because of greening," Kryger said.
Alico's history of citrus farming goes back more than a century. It was operated for many years by Ben Hill Griffin, Sr., whose name is on the University of Florida's football stadium.
Listen to an interview with Dr. Kryger below.
Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this report.
Photo: Canva
