Economic Studies

Citrus mechanical harvesting has the potential to alleviate two economic challenges currently faced by the Florida citrus industry:

1. Mechanical systems have the potential to increase harvest labor productivity 10-fold over manual harvesters, thereby reducing the risks from labor shortages;
2. Mechanical systems have the potential to significantly reduce unit harvest costs, thereby improve the competitive position of Florida citrus growers.

Goals of these economic studies are to:

1. Provide growers and harvesting contractors with cost information, performance statistics, and decision-aid tools to guide them in their adoption of mechanical harvesting systems;
2. Identify and evaluate impediments to adoption and new technology that may reduce harvesting costs.