According to data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), Goiás is among the ten states that grow the most citrus fruits in Brazil. Occupying 9th position in the national ranking, production was 172 thousand tons in 2023. With the prospect of increased production for 2024, the concern of the specialist from the Goiana Agency for Technical Assistance, Rural Extension and Agricultural Research (Emater) is that the greening does not reach the orchards in Goiás.
Producing regions in the center-south such as the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Paraná face problems in reducing planting. According to Emater's Southwest regional coordinator, José Luiz Pereira Lopes, the decline favored Goiás, which increased the planting area.
“Citrus farming in Goiás is growing gradually. There was an increase in cultivated area, due to the migration of producers to the state, as the main crop regions face problems in the reduction caused by greening. Furthermore, we have a favorable climate and plenty of water for irrigation. Citrus farming will grow significantly in the state,” he explains.
Although projections for citrus farming are favorable for the production chain in Goiás, José Luiz warns that care must be taken to prevent the pest from entering the state. According to him, agricultural defense actions are important to remove harmful material from circulation.
“It is essential that the population understands that purchasing seedlings that were produced without phytosanitary monitoring puts the entire citrus industry in Goiás at risk. The fight against the trade in irregular citrus seedlings must be intense”, he warns.
The coordinator advises that the purchase of seedlings must be from a registered and certified nursery, which has origin and quality, to make it difficult for the disease to enter the state. “The expectation is that Goiás will be one of the largest producers of citrus, especially orange, in the coming years. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the entry of the disease”, he points out.
José Luiz also suggests that other measures be put into practice, such as educational and producer awareness actions and, thus, adopting strategies to control greening.
According to Embrapa, the pest, known as “yellow branch disease”, is considered the largest citrus disease in the world, due to the difficulty of control, rapid spread and because it is highly destructive.
The disease affects all citrus plants and has no cure: once contaminated, the bacteria from the plant cannot be eliminated, which still acts as a source of transmission for contamination of others in the orchard. Caused by the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter spp. and spread by the psyllid insect (Diaphorina citri), the pest weakens plantations, which reduces production.
According to José Luiz, greening is considered the disease that most threatens citrus farming in the world. Symptoms are visible as thicker leaves and small, deformed fruits. Over time and with increasing severity, the entire plant may die.
The regional coordinator also says that citrus farming is a new crop in Goiás, with only 35 years of planting. The main fruits produced are Tahiti lemon, mandarin oranges and oranges. Projections for fruit growing in the state are positive: according to data from Mapa, in just one year, orange production increased.
From 2023 to 2024, the planted area grew from 7,2 thousand hectares to 7,4 thousand hectares, which represents 160 thousand tons. The value of orange production was R$203,6 million – growth of 28,6% compared to the previous harvest in 2023. The crop generates 4 thousand jobs, direct and indirect, per hectare in the state.
“Citrus farming is an important crop in the state and especially for Brazil. In the country, Tahiti lemon had the biggest growth in exports last year. Furthermore, we are the largest producer and supplier of orange juice in the world, with 75% of the global market. For every five glasses consumed, 4 are of Brazilian oranges”, explains José Luiz.
According to the expert, the projection for the next five years is that the planted area will double in size. “Goiás is a powerhouse in planting, so much so that there are no seedlings to sell. Currently, the lack of seedlings to supply producers restricts the increase in production in the state. All seedlings from nurseries in Goiás are sold for the years 2024 and 2025”, he emphasizes.
Receive the latest agriculture news by email
Receive the latest agriculture news by email
