Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, announced the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee will vote on Wednesday 14 September on his bipartisan legislation to aid farmers struggling with the spread of citrus greening, an incurable bacterial disease.
Some call it a potential “game-changer” because it would invite fresh investment, helping to rebuild the battered industry.
The Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act.
...
Experts project a 26 percent decline in the state’s orange crop for this upcoming season – the worst in more than 50 years, according to a press release by Buchanan’s office.
Florida’s congressional delegation unanimously supports the legislation. The bill has also been endorsed by Florida Citrus Mutual, the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the American Farm Bureau Federation.
Michael W. Sparks, executive director of Florida Citrus Mutual, said the bill has the potential to be a game-changer by attracting new investment to the industry.
After 10 years of losing trees and boxes of fruit, and dealing with higher production costs, research is showing ways that the disease can be combated, Sparks said.
He estimated that growers have lost 20 million trees to greening, and the new bill offers promise that they could begin replanting those trees.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
