After initial fears that crops could be down by as much as 80 per cent, the recently released preliminary estimation has seen farmers breathe a sigh of relief.

"We anticipate the valencia and mid-season varieties will have a yield reduction of approximately 20 per cent and the navel production will drop by about 15 per cent in 2010/11," Mr Battistel said.

Mr Battistel said the estimate was much better than had been expected and the fruit produced would be destined for premium markets.

"The milder summer and secure water supplies in the Murrumbidgee Irrigation Area have boosted the size of the fruit, compensating for the lower count," he said.

"This will see more fruit end up in the premium box and we won't have all the leftovers. It's better for the farmers because overseas markets want bigger fruit anyway."

But what is most concerning farmers about the coming season is the value of the dollar.

"What's going to be determining everything now is the dollar value. The high value at the moment makes it very hard to sell anything at a profit for growers, hopefully over the next few months that will change," Mr Battistel said.

Riverina Citrus has emphasised these findings are only preliminary and may need to be adjusted when it completes the size assessment. The findings from this evaluation will be released in mid-March.