Clewiston, FL -

Numbers released Wednesday by the US Department of Agriculture show production of oranges in Florida is projected to be down 22 percent this month compared to the same time last year.

Citrus experts expect the numbers will continue to fall.

The main reason for the decline comes from an insect that is as common as the mosquito in Florida, which is spreading an incurable disease called Citrus Greening.

Oranges are a $9-billion industry in the state and to help protect it, everything is being considered including genetic engineering.

Southern Gardens Citrus in Clewiston is spearheading some genetic research. Its facility processes 25,000 oranges per minute, with the capacity of making 600,000 gallons of juice per day.

The groves feeding the facility are in visible distress. There are rows of stumps left behind from infected trees, where 800,000 have been infected so far.

President of Southern Gardens Citrus, Ricke Kress, has been looking for a cure for nine years. He's been with the company since 2005, which is the same year the disease was found in his groves.

"I had been here about a month." Kress Said, adding, "if we take out every infected tree we're basically not going to have any trees left.

Citrus Greening is spread through bacteria called Asian Citrus Psyllid, which essentially cuts off nutritional flow inside of the tree.

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Florida orange production down, projections show

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