Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, and Tangelos Grown in Florida; Limiting the Volume of Small Florida Red Seedless Grapefruit

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The Department of Agriculture (Department) is finalizing without change the provisions of an amended interim final rule limiting the volume of small red seedless grapefruit entering the fresh market under the Florida citrus marketing order. The marketing order regulates the handling of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida and is administered locally by the Citrus Administrative Committee (committee). The amended interim final rule limited the volume of size 48 and/or size 56 red seedless grapefruit handlers could ship during the first 11 weeks of the 1997-1998 season that began in September. That rule provided a sufficient supply of small sized red seedless grapefruit to meet market demand, without saturating all markets with these small sizes. The committee believed this action was necessary to help stabilize the market and improve grower returns.