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

The Department of Agriculture (Department) is adopting, as a final rule, without change, the provisions of an interim final rule limiting the volume of small red seedless grapefruit entering the fresh market under the marketing order covering oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, and tangelos grown in Florida. The marketing order is administered locally by the Citrus Administrative Committee (Committee). This rule limits the volume of sizes 48 (at least 3\9/16\ inches in diameter) and 56 (at least 3\5/16\ inches in diameter) red seedless grapefruit handlers can ship during the first 11 weeks of the 2000-2001 season beginning September 18, 2000. This limitation provides a sufficient supply of small sized red seedless grapefruit to meet market demand, without saturating all markets with these small sizes. This rule should help stabilize the grapefruit market and improve grower returns.