The new portrait of citrus farming made by Fundecitrus through the Harvest Estimate Survey (PES) 2017 showed that the number of abandoned orchards had a reduction of 70% falling from 6,511 hectares, identified in the survey carried out in 2016, to 1,977 in 2017, in citrus park of São Paulo and Minas Gerais comprising a total area of 402,566 hectares of orange orchards including the main planted varieties.
The 4,534 hectares that were no longer abandoned were reactivated, that is, they returned to the orange production area. The main reason for the reactivation of these areas, which are one of the main phytosanitary problems in citrus farming, is the improvement in orange price conditions and market expansion.
Abandoned orchards are those without cultural treatments, unsatisfactory phytosanitary control, a high level of pest and disease infestation and tall weeds.
These characteristics indicate that there will be no harvest in these orchards in the current harvest. “These areas represent a great risk for citrus farming, as they serve as a constant source of disease and breeding grounds for pests, especially the psyllid Diaphorina citri, which transmits greening, the worst citrus disease. They must be eradicated because they compromise citrus growers who are taking care of their orchards and developing adequate control”, says the general manager of Fundecitrus, Juliano Ayres. “Citrus growers who establish a new orchard are currently professionals and are aware of the complexity of the activity and the existing phytosanitary risks. However, it is worth highlighting that even in the face of greening challenges, São Paulo's citrus industry has been modernizing and increasing its efficiency and production”, he adds.
The census also showed that the decline in citrus production was smaller this year, falling from 28,842 hectares (2016) to 14,307 (2017), a difference of 50%. Of those eradicated in 2017, 2,344 hectares were replanted with orange, this renewal corresponds to 28% of the 8,476 hectares of orchards formed in 2016.
“The reduction in eradication, the renewal of orchards and the recovery of areas that were poorly managed or abandoned are signs that the sector is more optimistic about oranges, but the maintenance of new plantings at low levels also shows a careful attitude on the part of producers , a concern about not excessively increasing supply given the falling demand in the main orange juice markets”, says PES coordinator, Vinícius Trombin.
Source: Agrolink
