The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) reminds the state’s citrus growers that if they plan to ship fresh citrus to Florida for packing, there are certain guidelines they must adhere to.
The state of Florida requires all fresh citrus fruit coming into the state to be inspected for and free from citrus canker, sweet orange scab and citrus black spot diseases.
The GDA Plant Protection Division has the personnel in place to ensure groves are properly inspected. Growers can contact Arthur.Tatum@agr.georgia.gov for in-depth guidelines.
The Plant Protection Division cost for these inspections is $75 for groves up to 25 acres and $3 per acre for groves that exceed 25 acres. There is also a $200 late fee for applicants after September.
Growers will need the following information when contacting the Plant Protection Division:
- Physical address and GPS coordinates of your grove
- Varieties you intend to ship to Florida for packing
- Name of the packinghouse you intend to use
- Physical address and GPS coordinates of the actual packing facility
- Name, phone number and email address of the person of authority at packing company
Citrus growers are encouraged to only use citrus packers who are licensed and under a compliance agreement to treat fresh citrus fruit for citrus canker and other citrus diseases.