What happened to oranges in the southern USA?

[ShaneWalter]

Okay, so I live in Saskatchewan so obviously when I buy oranges they are imported. It seems to me that most oranges I used to buy were from California. I've noticed this year that a lot (actually every time I bother to read the little sticker) my oranges are from South Africa.

It seems to me something major must have happened to oranges in the southern USA if grocery stores are importing oranges all the way from South Africa. I can't imagine anywhere much further away from Saskatchewan than South Africa.

So what happened? Catastrophic frost? Some new, never before seen orange tree disease decimated the orange orchards?

Discuss.

[KrazyHorse]

I don't see why you would find SA oranges ridiculous. AFAIK oranges transport well, and ocean transport is basically free (1 10X10X40 container across the Pacific = 8000$ IIRC)

[SlowwHand]

Here, for what it's worth.

Brazil exports 99 percent of its production, while 90 percent of Florida's production is consumed in the US.

I think Florida is the primary supplier in the USA, and this would seem to verify it. I'm not looking into it any further though.

[KrazyHorse]

Also, there's a pure seasonality issue. As I recall (though I may be wrong) oranges have 3 crops per year in the far-southern US. During the off-seasons alternate sources become the best option.

[ShaneWalter]

I don't see why you would find SA oranges ridiculous. AFAIK oranges transport well, and ocean transport is basically free (1 10X10X40 container across the Pacific = 8000$ IIRC)

Well I've just never noticed it before, and I mean this isn't like a transport from Japan to LA, this is going from the southern most point of Africa all the way to Canada across the Atlantic.

It's gotta be cheaper to transport oranges from California to Saskatchewan than it does to transport them across the Atlantic to a port somewhere in the eastern USA or eastern Canada, and then from there to Saskatchewan.

[Asher]

At this point I think people in Saskatchewan should be glad that they have access to oranges all together and count their blessings.

[SlowwHand]

Evidently not, to Shane AND Asher.

[KrazyHorse]

It's not going to be much of a difference, dude. Ports nowadays are incredible. If the shipment is containerized there's almost no intermodal cost either.

Seriously, how do you think you get bananas for 49 cents a pound from Guatemala etc.?

[Dinner]

Here, for what it's worth.


I think Florida is the primary supplier in the USA, and this would seem to verify it. I'm not looking into it any further though.

Florida oranges are mostly juice oranges while California oranges are mostly table oranges. California is in its fifth year of drought so many of the orchards in the central valley have just had enough water to keep the trees alive but not enough to let them produce fruit.

[KrazyHorse]

I screwed up. The 8000$ figure I had in mind was Shanghai to the Eastern US...INCLUDING INTERMODAL AND INLAND COSTS

[SpencerH]

It must be an inside joke

[KrazyHorse]

By the way, a standard 40 foot container is rated for ~25 metric tons of cargo. In other words, total transport costs to Regina are on the order of 30 cents a kilogram, without the cost of loading/unloading the oranges from the container itself.

Now, I don't doubt this is slightly low, as oranges probably need a refrigerated hold. But overland transport is FAR more expensive than is equivalent ocean transport + intermodal costs.

[SlowwHand]

Are more oranges consumed by eating or drinking? I don't know. I'm asking.

[KrazyHorse]

It must be an inside joke

?

[SpencerH]

That you'd find it funny that you screwed up a shipping cost "INCLUDING INTERMODAL AND INLAND COSTS". Its kinda like a joke that only an accountant would care about or find humorous.