South Texas is technically in its rainy season, but rainfall totals are running below normal and producers say conditions haven't been enough to ease persistent drought stress across citrus-growing areas. According to the Texas Farm Bureau, recent rain helped at the margins but didn't deliver meaningful relief.
South Texas is a meaningful domestic citrus producing region, and drought stress during fruit development season can impact both yield and quality outcomes later in the year. Combined with the California lemon gap, Florida's ongoing recovery, and the 43% drop in Peruvian mandarin exports, the domestic citrus supply picture is stretched across multiple geographies.
This is a situation to keep watching as the rainy season continues — whether Texas gets meaningful precipitation relief in the coming weeks will influence late-season fruit quality and domestic availability heading into fall.