Citrus producers face difficulties and record losses in Serra Gaúcha

In Serra Gaúcha, during the citrus harvest, several producers face a series of difficulties that cause losses, especially in the municipalities of Bento Gonçalves, Veranópolis and Cotiporã, which are among the five largest producers in the region. To date, a loss of 50% in the initially planned production is estimated. In addition to the landslides and fissures that compromised production areas, causing losses, there are farmers who have been without electricity for a month and a half and have compromised access to their properties via roads. According to a survey carried out by Emater/RS, 378 properties in the Serra region are experiencing production flow problems.

One of the properties that is finding it difficult to flow production is that of Antoninho and Alex Sikorski, on the Natividade line, in Bento Gonçalves. The family, which cultivates 8 hectares of bergamots, which are their main source of income, has already lost 2 hectares of fruit due to the landslides. Closing the harvest of the Caí variety, starting the Ponkan one and, later, the Montenegrin one, the family also lost up to 20 tons of early fruit, which were no longer sold due to lack of opportunity to sell the production, which represents a deficit of approximately R$80 thousand.

Antoninho has a cold room, which would allow the fruit to be harvested, stored and later sold, but it has been without electricity for 45 days.

Another problem faced by producers in the region is the early fall and cracking of fruit. According to the rural extension officer at Emater/RS in the Caxias do Sul Region, Enio Ângelo Todeschini, these anomalies are a result of adverse weather conditions, not directly due to high rainfall, but due to long periods of cloudy weather, that is, absence of direct solar radiation (insolation), directly affecting the photosynthetic capacity of plants and causing an imbalance between production (source) and consumption (sink) of nutrients.

“In this way, the fruit turns yellow and aborts due to malnutrition. In the case of cracks, also due to malnutrition, they stopped growing and naturally expanding. In turn, the pulp continued to absorb water, forcing the skin until it ruptured,” he explains.