If you've ever taken a stroll around downtown New Port Richey, you've probably noticed a small fruit tree lining many streets and peeking over neighbors' fences.
That fruit, the loquat, is a cousin of the pear, apple, and plum. It's honored each year at the city's Loquat Festival.
"One reason we celebrate the loquat tree is, not only does it produce a lot of fruit here in season, but it's also the sort of tree that anyone can grow," said Dell DeChant, who helps organize the festival and runs New Port Richey FarmNet.
"So you can put a loquat tree in your yard, and you will have, in a relatively short period of time, an abundance of fruit for you to enjoy," DeChant continued.
He said loquat trees out-produce other fruit trees here. Plus, you can make all kinds of tasty treats from them.
"We're gonna have the fresh fruits. We'll have trees, jellies, jams, preserves, cakes, cookies, everything made from loquats," DeChant said.
A brief history of the loquat
The New Port Richey Loquat Festival is the only one of its kind in the United States.
While similar festivals are prevalent in other parts of the world, they're not here. Americans also tend to confuse the fruit with the kumquat, which is a similar-looking, small, orange citrus fruit that is also native to China.
"The production of the (loquat) tree spread from East Asia through North India into what's modern Pakistan, then into Iran, then Iraq, throughout the entire Central Asia, when it got to the Mediterranean, then the loquat propagation went north into the southern part of Europe, Greece, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and across North Africa, through Egypt, Libya, all the way up to the coast," DeChant said.
Several of those nations still celebrate the loquat.
"Almost every year this happens, we have folks from other parts of the world who have immigrated here, or are the children of folks who have immigrated here, who remember the loquats from their youth in other parts of the world," DeChant said.
"They are amazed to find them here, and so thankful. There are people that tear up when they see these loquats in abundance at this festival… it doesn't matter where you are, whether you're in Afghanistan or Portugal or New Port Richey. In a way, it's the same tree, it's the same fruit, it's the same mother that's given it to us all," he continued.
Could loquats replace the citrus industry?
The citrus industry in Florida has been in steady decline for about 30 years because of citrus greening disease, hurricane damage, freezing weather, and overdevelopment. State leaders have poured money into genetically modified trees, antimicrobial treatments, and more.
On Thursday, April 9, citrus growers received some good news. The U.S. Department of Agriculture posted slight increases in the yields for the current growing season for oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and the specialty fruits tangerines and tangelos, according to the News Service of Florida.
The industry still faces historic lows for production, and because oranges and grapefruit make up the bulk of the production, the overall harvest remains below the 2024-2025 harvest, which was the lowest in more than 100 years.
Meanwhile, state legislators are working to return in the coming weeks to negotiate a budget for the next fiscal year. Among the issues that scuttled lawmakers' first effort to craft the spending plan was funding for citrus research.
Senate President Ben Albritton, a citrus grower from Wauchula, pushed for $204.5 million in funding, against $4 million from the House. The budget for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, included $100 million for research.
DeChant said he'd like Florida lawmakers to consider boosting loquat trees financially, instead of pouring millions into the state's dying citrus industry.
"If we could get a 10th of a 10th of a 10th of the amount of money that's going into trying to save a dying industry, to devote to the actually increase of fruit trees that will actually bear fruit and produce in abundance, we could change this environment almost overnight," DeChant said.
If you go
This year's festival takes place Saturday, April 11, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in New Port Richey at Sims Park, 5600 Sims Lane, and nearby Peace Hall.
There will be gardening and grafting presentations, vendors selling loquat seeds and trees, and an art show featuring local artists and works inspired by Florida's agricultural heritage.
It's free to attend.
For more details, visit the Loquat Festival's website.
Information from the News Service of Florida was used in this story.
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