Citrus farming in São Paulo reduces planted area and increases production

São Paulo's citrus industry, which in 2019 was one of the main employment-generating crops in the State of São Paulo, with 46,7 thousand admissions according to CAGED data, has also proven to be a true environmental asset. A survey carried out by Fundecitrus, a research center that brings together producers and industry, shows that in the last 30 years the sector has reduced its productive area by 40%, going from 631 thousand hectares in 1988 to 376 thousand hectares in the current harvest. In the same period, productivity went from 13,75 tons per hectare to an average of 42,64 tons of oranges per hectare, a jump of 210%. “In recent years, citrus farming has evolved with the use of more efficient technologies and planting systems, which has allowed production to be increased, using fewer natural resources”, explains the executive director of CitrusBR, Ibiapaba Netto.

With more efficient production, the sector was able to guarantee production in harmony with biodiversity. Data from Fundecitrus, crossed with information from the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) and IBGE, show that in the 2019/2020 harvest, properties with citrus totaled 181.750 hectares of native forest. Considering that the total area planted with oranges is 459.058 hectares, for every 2,52 hectares planted with citrus, 1 hectare is occupied by forest.

Another aspect that shows the sustainability of the sector is the production combined with honey. In the last 10 years, honey production in the orange areas of the State of São Paulo grew by 136%. With the use of technologies and rational application of chemical pesticides, honey produced in this area currently corresponds to 84% of São Paulo's production of the product.

Care for nature did not take away the competitiveness of the production chain. In the last harvest, the volume produced was 376 thousand boxes of oranges weighing 40,8 kg, according to Fundecitrus. This represents a production growth of 80% compared to the 213 million boxes produced in 1988. “São Paulo's citrus industry today has a sustainable model that allows it to reconcile environmental protection with high-scale production that allows Brazil to account for 31% of world orange production, 58% of world orange juice production and 74% of international orange juice trade”, highlights Netto.