Citrus season goes strong but predicts troubling future

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The citrus season began in October and has been going strong due to good weather since it started, but local citrus growers are worried about the lack of water supply and how it will affect future seasons.

Dale Murden, Texas Citrus Mutual President, said citrus growers are trying to rebuild the industry after a few bad production years.

"We're about half of our twenty-year average," Murden said. "We typically produce about 15 million cartons of citrus. Today we're about seven million."

Murden said the quality and the size of the produce have been good this year and he said there is still a high demand, but they are only producing about half the crop than they were before Texas experienced a winter freeze in 2021.

Murden said the citrus industry's future is in danger because of a lack of water.

"Lack of being able to plan properly is the frustrating thing," Murden said. "When you can't count on Mexico to make the annual payment it's very hard to plan."

Citrus farmers are dependent on the water from the Rio Grande, Colorado and Tijuana rivers which are supposed to be shared between the U.S. and Mexico under the 1944 Water Treaty.

Mexico's failure to supply water has prompted Congresswoman Monica De La Cruz to step in.

De La Cruz introduced the South Texas Agricultural Emergency Assistance Act to the Appropriations Bill. If approved, it would provide $280 million in emergency aid to South Texas farmers.

Murden said the impact of this financial support could keep the citrus industry and many other produce industries in business while they try to find other sources of water. He added that getting the State Department to act on the problem of water scarcity has been difficult.

"Until the State Department decides they are going to really try to help us, we're stalemated on the whole situation," Murden said.

ValleyCentral spoke to a local produce business about the impacts they are seeing.

The owner of Garza's produce in Donna said prices for citrus have gone up recently.

Garza said while prices used to be roughly 30 cents per pound, they are now 65 to 70 cents per pound. In order to resell, she said they have had to increase their prices as well.

"It affects us a lot because some people are not willing to pay," Garza said.

Murden said if something doesn't happen soon, the industry will be in trouble.