Sunkist assessing damage from crop-killer freeze.

Sunkist assessing damage from crop-killer freeze

Retail citrus fruit prices nearly double in supermarkets

California's recent crop damage is squeezing the juice out of Sunkist Growers Inc. Agriculture experts estimate the statewide citrus damage caused by December's freezing temperatures to be more than $450 million, and Sunkist growers' crops comprise 65 percent of the state's citrus industry.

"It's been bad, real bad," said Sunkist spokeswoman Claire Peters. "It's the worst freeze on record."

Sherman Oaks-based Sunkist is a marketing cooperative representing 6,000 growers in California and Arizona. In 1990, the cooperative sold $816 million worth of fruit, about 41 percent of the $2 billion market in the state.

Specific amounts of damage to Sunkist growers' crops have not yet been determined, Peters said.

"Sunkist is the major marketer of citrus in California. They represent the largest body of acreage in the state from a marketing standpoint," said Joel Nelsen, president of California Citrus Mutual in Visalia.

The recent freeze, one of the worst to hit California this century, will drive up fruit and vegetable prices across the country, experts said.

"The price for navel oranges has already doubled on the wholesale market, and it could triple," said Robert Krauter, a spokesman for the California Farm Bureau. "With the severity of damage, prices have been fairly quick to react."

The state Department of Agriculture estimated that 70 percent of the state's navel oranges were wiped out by the freeze.

The San Joaquin Valley suffered $400 million in citrus crop damage, while Ventura County suffered about $56 million, Nelsen said.

As far as long-term damage is concerned, the state's lemon crop was hurt most severely, Nelsen said. It will take from two to five years for the lemon industry to recover from the damage caused to its trees, he said.

However, there has been only minimal long-term damage to the navel crop and growers expect a "reasonable-size crop for next fall," while the Valencia oranges hadn't yet ripened at the time of the freeze, Nelsen added.

"There is an opportunity for them to heal themselves," he said.

Sunkist growers produce navel oranges, Valencia oranges, lemons, grapefruit and tangerines. In 1989, 35 percent of Sunkist crops were comprised of Valencia oranges, 30 percent was comprised of lemons, and 24 percent of the growers' crops produced navel oranges.

Southland supermarkets, following the law of supply and demand, have raised their prices. The region's Lucky Stores Inc. supermarkets have hiked prices of navel oranges from 59 cents a pound prior to the freeze to 99 cents a pound, and at Sherman Oaks-based Mrs. Gooch's navels are up 50 cents a pound to $1.29.

But suppliers are dwindling. "We expect to be out of the navel business within three weeks," said Judy Decker, spokeswoman for Dublin-based Lucky. "They aren't going to be available to sell."

Lucky stores will replace California navel oranges with another variety, such as Valencia oranges from Florida, Decker said.

Hughes Markets Inc. has already bought "not as attractive" Florida oranges to fill orders. "This situation is really critical, so we had to go out of state," said Roger Schroeder, vice president of produce for Los Angeles-based Hughes.

Los Angeles-based Vons Cos. Inc. used to offer its customers three sizes of navel oranges, but now is only offering them one. Furthermore, instead of the normal prominent display of oranges, the fruit has been moved to a secondary position in the produce section, said Dick Spezzano, vice president of produce.

Spezzano added that while he is charging Vons customers double what he did before the freeze, he is paying wholesalers three times as much for the oranges.

Some stores have also raised the prices of their grapefruits and lemons. Grapefruits at Mrs. Gooch's have gone to $1.19 from 69 cents a pound, and the price of lemons at Lucky stores have risen 10 cents a pound.

Not only citrus fruit was affected, however. The prices of broccoli, cauliflower and carrots are also going up, said Vons spokeswoman Vickie Sanders.

Orange juice prices have not been affected because oranges for juice usually come from Florida and Brazil, Spezzano said.

Some markets reported a dramatic decrease in the sale of oranges. Schroeder said Hughes is selling only about half as many navel oranges now as it did before the freeze. Mrs. Gooch's store director Jon Loomis said the markets are selling from 15 percent to 20 percent fewer oranges.

Many markets waited until after Christmas or New Year's Day, though, to institute the price increases, and said it was too early to tell how sales volume will be affected.