Fundecitrus Deliberative Council approves proposal to expand integrated program to control greening

The Fundecitrus Deliberative Council approved the Integrated Program to Combat Greening (huanglongbing/HLB). The program is aligned with the institution's efforts to effectively combat the disease and guarantee a competitive and productive citrus industry.

According to the president of the Fundecitrus Deliberative Council, Lourival Carmo Monaco, the decision at this time is based on the knowledge accumulated over the years based on the institution's research, which proves the importance of internal and external management of properties to combat greening efficiently. and with technical and economic viability.

“Once again Fundecitrus, through the commitment and vision of citrus growers, opens its arsenal of technological weapons and uses the accumulated experience to preserve this source of income and create jobs. This decision occurs at the time of definition due to the threat posed by the growth of greening and the assessment of the economic return on this investment by producers. Unlike other programs, it strengthens the understanding that the challenges are not limited to work within the farm gates, but its effectiveness depends on the involvement of the entire society to understand and collaborate with this important challenge from a social and economic point of view”, he says Monaco.

The program has an initial duration scheduled for three years and encompasses innovation work, provision of technological tools to citrus growers, actions in conjunction with the government, communication campaign, technology transfer and education work and intensification of external control of greening in rural backyards and commercial orchards without disease management.

External control

Since September 2017, the Fundecitrus external greening control team has worked in partnership with citrus growers and companies in areas without disease management to replace citrus plants with other fruit trees and myrtles with other ornamental trees.

The work also consists of raising awareness among producers to manage their orchards and carrying out actions to control the psyllid, the insect that transmits greening, in these locations, such as the release of Tamarixia radiata, a wasp that provides biological control of the insect. Until May this year, 205 thousand hectares had been covered and 80 thousand trees had been eliminated. “Citrus and myrtle plants in uncontrolled areas harm the fight against greening on commercial properties. Expanding this work is extremely important due to the destructive potential of the disease”, says Fundecitrus agronomist Ivaldo Sala, coordinator of the work.

The approval of the Integrated Program foresees the intensification of these actions and the consequent expansion of the team, giving greater coverage to the citrus growing regions. The proposal is that by May 2021, the project development period, more than 1.200.000 plants will be eliminated and 2.280.209 hectares of the citrus park in São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro will be covered.

The general manager of Fundecitrus, Juliano Ayres, highlights the need for producers to adhere to the control pact by acting jointly with Fundecitrus in external control and adopting the 10 commandments for the successful fight against greening within their properties. “The work will be developed together with citrus growers and we will only be successful if everyone plays their role with excellence and technical rigor. The severity of greening has increased each year and in the last harvest the disease was responsible for premature dropping of more than 19 million fruits. The approval of this program is a big step towards lowering the disease incidence curve and maintaining the São Paulo and Minas Gerais citrus belt as the only one that has managed to manage greening”, says Ayres.

#unitedagainstgreening campaign

The #unidoscontraogreening marketing campaign began in June 2017 with the aim of raising awareness among different links in the citrus sector and society about the economic and social importance of citrus farming, the destructive power of greening and the damage that the spread of the disease can bring. for regions that have citrus production as their main source of income and employment. During the first year of the campaign's development, communication actions were concentrated in regions with the most severe rates of the disease.

The approval of the Integrated Program makes it possible to expand the campaign to the entire citrus belt and intensify communication actions, including: commercials on television and radio, advertisements on billboards, awareness caravans, publicity in the local press and mainstream media , regional events, lectures and training.

“The central objective of expanding the campaign is to open the doors for the external greening control team and generate a wave of awareness and awareness in society so that everyone can join the fight to combat the disease and help keep our citrus industry at the top of the market. world”, says Fundecitrus Communications coordinator, Jaqueline Ribas.

The institution's president reinforces the importance of society's adherence to the campaign. ’United against greening’ materializes the need for solidarity action from the entire society, as the threat is in every corner of every city. It is important to highlight that this program will develop as an essential battle, while our research constantly seeks to find other solutions that will ensure we win this war”, concludes Lourival Monaco.