Citriculture occupies 54% of the fruit area in Paraná

Citriculture is the main fruit growing activity in Paraná, accounting for 53,7% of the 55,2 thousand hectares with fruit in the state. The municipalities of Paranavaí, Cerro Azul and Altônia lead, respectively, the cultivation of oranges, tangerines and lemons. The information is in the Agricultural Situation Bulletin for the week of March 29th to April 4th. The document is prepared by technicians from the Department of Rural Economy (Deral), the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply (Seab). 

The most recent data from Deral, from 2022, shows that Paraná cultivated approximately 29 thousand hectares of citrus fruits. They represent 63,4% of the volume of 1,3 million tons produced in fruit growing. Orange is cultivated on 20,8 thousand hectares, and Paranavaí accounts for 18,7% of the harvested volumes. Tangerines occupy 6,9 thousand hectares, with 57,4% of the fruits extracted from Cerro Azul; The area destined for lemon cultivation in the state is 1,3 thousand hectares and is available from the month of May, with Altônia collecting 67,8% of the total.

According to agronomist Paulo Andrade, with the intensification of the harvest starting in July, oranges have a large part of the production destined for industrial processing, transformed into concentrated juice and by-products sent to the foreign market, in addition to 'ready to drink' juice. aimed at the national market. The marketing of fresh fruits is focused on domestic, local and regional consumption. 

Tangerines, with modest harvests beginning in April, are intended for the 'in natura' market, are a fruit with supply concentrated in 10 weeks of the year, have high perishability and a short shelf life. According to Andrade, juice production is a reality sought by citrus growers in Vale do Ribeira, aiming to supply - via agro-industrial transformation - a differentiated product, which would represent a new market niche for producers. 

corn and soy  

With the intense heat in Paraná, combined with little rain, corn farming conditions for the second harvest 2023/24 worsened significantly this week. According to Deral, 81% of the 2,4 million hectares planted are in good field condition, while 17% are in average condition. In relation to soybeans, this week the harvest reached 93% of the 5,7 million hectares planted in this harvest. In the market, prices have remained stable in recent months.

Wheat

Although zoning already allows the planting of wheat in some municipalities in Paraná, especially in the North region, there is no record of sowing so far. With work likely to continue in these municipalities until at least the end of May, the intensification of tractors in the field should still take a few weeks to happen.