One of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, Ian, which swept through Florida and South Carolina last week, claimed more than sixty lives, submerging entire neighborhoods.
The destruction is massive, it could be the
"worst"
in the country's history, President Joe Biden said last Friday.
The economic and social damage will also be very significant, especially for the agricultural sector.
They could reach between 28 billion and 47 billion dollars, according to an estimate by the specialized firm CoreLogic.
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One of the collateral effects, which may seem anecdotal in the face of such a disaster, is felt in the price of orange juice which soared on Monday, driven by fears of a sharp reduction in the harvest in Florida.
The frozen concentrated orange juice futures contract for November delivery rose as high as $2.01 per pound (about 450 grams), a level not seen in nearly six years (December 2016).
Polk County, Florida's leading production region, suffered the brunt of Ian's passage.
“Our first observations revealed significant fruit drop”
, alerted, in a press release, Alico, one of the two orange giants in Florida, with the group of Texas origin King Ranch.
Over the 2021-2022 season, this state provided 44% of American production compared to 55% for California.
"Based on previous episodes of storms
," Alico continued,
"we expect it will take at least two seasons for orchards to return to pre-hurricane production levels
. "
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