Orange juice prices expected to climb   

By The Holland Times Wednesday 09 June 2010, 11:06

The price of orange juice will increase over the coming months. Bad weather and plant diseases damaged much of the season's harvest. 

In Brazil, the harvest this year is expected to be 11.7 million tonnes less than 2009. That's the lowest yield in seven years and more than six percent less than last year. The country produces half of all the orange juice in the world. In Florida, the world's second largest orange grower, the yield is also low.

Producers of oranges say the disappointing harvest is due to heavy rainfall. As a result, many fruits from the trees dropped early and the remaining fruit is very watery. 

A spokesman for Campina, producer of Appelsientje confirms that the price of orange juice will "probably go up." However they stressed that the final price is a matter of supply and demand.