Safra Goiás Expedition will travel through 43 municipalities
State agricultural inspectors will address topics such as post-harvest management and pest prevention
The Goiana Agricultural Defense Agency (Agrodefesa) advises producers and the population to purchase citrus seedlings only from nurseries registered with the Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa). The measure is defined in the legislation, which also determines criteria for the production and sale of seedlings, including the prohibition of “open-air” nurseries and the street sale of propagation material.
“We need to reinforce the importance of monitoring the production and sale of citrus seedlings. The general population is often unaware of the risk involved in illegal trade, since pests may not be recognized at first, but once the seedlings are found to be contaminated, they can compromise production in the state,” warns the president of Agrodefesa, José Ricardo Caixeta Ramos. “Producers with commercial areas are aware of the obligation to purchase healthy seedlings from a proven source, but citizens need to understand the obligation to purchase healthy seedlings from a proven source, even for recreational areas, that is, non-commercial areas, so as not to become disseminators of pests,” he adds.
Currently, Goiás has 11 nurseries producing citrus seedlings registered with Mapa and Agrodefesa, located in five municipalities of the state: Anápolis, Goiânia, Goianira, Itaberaí and Goiatuba. Production for the 2024 harvest is estimated at 750 thousand seedlings and the expectation is for growth for the 2025 harvest, with the registration of two more nurseries, which could reach 1,72 million seedlings, which will be sold in the states of Goiás, Minas Gerais, Tocantins and Mato Grosso.
“The state of Goiás is considered an area of frontier expansion for citrus farming in the country, and with the increase in planted area and the demand for citrus seedlings, producers cannot always find seedlings to purchase immediately in registered nurseries and buy seedlings without origin, cheaper, and with pests, thus establishing orchards with low production and spreading pests”, explains Agrodefesa’s Plant Health Manager, Daniela Rézio. “Agrodefesa has been constantly working to destroy stray seedlings throughout the state with the aim of preserving the health of the state’s orchards and warns producers to only buy seedlings from registered nurseries for the good and growth of citrus farming in Goiás.”
The production of citrus seedlings in Goiás is governed by a series of federal and state Normative Instructions. The objective is to maintain the health of the plants, especially in relation to quarantine pests such as Citrus Canker and HLB, also known as Greening.
The determinations include the prohibition of the “open-air” system of citrus seedling production, with production in screened nurseries being mandatory (IN No. 08/2003); the commercialization of propagation material of seedlings produced and sold in the State, subject to the mandatory documents of Plant Transit Authorization (ATV), Compliance Term and Invoice (IN No. 07/2016); and the interstate trade of seedlings accompanied by the documents of Plant Transit Permit (PTV), Compliance Term, Invoice and Authorization for Purchase of Seedlings (IN No. 10/2008). The technical standards for the production of propagation material are also determined, including the registration of nurseries and producers with Mapa and Agrodefesa (IN Mapa No. 48/2013).
The coordinator of the Citrus Program of the Plant Health Department of Agrodefesa, Mariza Mendanha, emphasizes that another extremely important regulation is IN nº 04/2011, which prohibits the street trade of any species of seedlings, even if accompanied by documentation proving their origin. According to the instruction, street trade does not guarantee the identity, quality and phytosanitary safety required by users of these materials. “These seedlings are the great disseminators of pests. The importance of acquiring healthy seedlings, free from quarantine pests and of economic importance, from registered and certified nurseries, determines the success or failure of the orchard, whether commercial or backyard”, she adds.
According to routine monitoring and the annual survey carried out by Agrodefesa, Goiás currently has three phytosanitary statuses recognized by Mapa for Citrus Canker: Area under eradication (Itajá, Jataí, Lagoa Santa, Itarumã and São Simão); Area under Risk Mitigation System (Inaciolândia, Cachoeira Dourada, Itumbiara, Rio Verde, Quirinópolis, Gouvelândia, Cromínia, Joviânia, Cachoeira Alta and Bom Jesus de Goiás); and Area without Occurrence (other municipalities). As for HLB, the occurrence of the pest is limited and controlled, to date, in three municipalities: Quirinópolis, Campo Limpo de Goiás and Anápolis.
“The seedlings are the main inputs used in the implementation of the citrus orchard, being the starting point for obtaining better performance in the production process and also a fundamental step for producing quality fruit with economic viability and sound phytosanitary health, that is, free from pests”, concludes Mariza.
Receive the latest agriculture news by email
Receive the latest agriculture news by email