IAC kicks off the main citrus industry events in Latin America

The Agronomic Institute (IAC), of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, started the 43rd Citrus Week, the 47th Expocitros and the 53rd Citrus Grower's Day, yesterday, June 6th. The events are considered the largest in knowledge, innovation and citrus marketing and business fair in Latin America.

The opening was attended by the Undersecretary of Agriculture, Orlando Melo de Castro, the coordinator of the São Paulo Agribusiness Technology Agency (APTA), Sergio Luiz dos Santos Tutui, the coordinator of the Agricultural Defense Coordination (CDA), Luís Fernando Bianco, the director general of the IAC, Marcos Guimarães de Andrade Landell, the director of the IAC Citriculture Center, Dirceu de Mattos Júnior, and the mayor of Cordeirópolis, José Adnan Ortolan.

During the opening of the event, the director of the IAC Citriculture Center, Dirceu de Mattos Júnior, thanked everyone for their presence and discussed the importance of innovation, relationships and research. “Citrus farming has a striking characteristic, which is its capacity for innovation. She absorbs information and thus stays so active,” he said.

The Undersecretary of Agriculture, Orlando Melo de Castro, announced new investments from the Department of Agriculture for infrastructure and renovation of the auditorium of the IAC Citriculture Center. “The State of São Paulo invested R＄50 million in research during 2022. This demonstrates the commitment we have to research,” he said.

Tutui highlighted in his speech the current highly complex challenges such as increasing production while respecting social, environmental and economic sustainability. “We, as research institutes of the Department of Agriculture, live with challenges. Today, the term innovation is fashionable, but 135 years ago the IAC was created to solve agribusiness problems. And at that time it wasn't even agribusiness but just agriculture. Since that time, we have been developing research together with the production sector and passing it on to them”, he explained.

The IAC general director spoke about his pride in participating in an event that has been going on for more than four decades. “This event is very significant, especially in a sector that has practically tripled its productivity in recent years,” he said. For Landell, this increase occurs mainly due to the increase in knowledge generated by institutions such as the IAC, universities and other research institutions.

The mayor of Cordeirópolis, José Adnan Ortolan, praised the activities carried out by the Citriculture Center. “When we get here we see a state that has worked. This is due to the team’s commitment and this fills the city of Cordeirópolis with pride, as the Department of Agriculture should also be proud,” he stated.

“Here we have everyone involved in the development of citrus farming in the State of São Paulo, such as the Agricultural Defense, which is much more than a supervisory body, as it also guides the producer and ensures plant health in São Paulo,” said Bianco.

Tributes

The event honored producer Raphael Juliano, for his great contribution in selecting and distributing Sorocaba lime oranges to citrus growers. The in memoriam tribute was given to his great-grandchildren. During the event, the Outstanding Citrus Agricultural Engineer award was presented to IAC researcher Mariângela Cristofani-Yaly. The Citrus Consultants Group - Hall of Fame award was given to producer and businessman José Gilberto Pratinha. The Globo Rural Program was awarded the Citriculture Center award for its extensive collaboration in disseminating knowledge to the population. Agricultural Defense provides guidance to producers at the event.

At the event location, a van from the Agricultural Defense, from the Department of Agriculture, with agronomists and agricultural technicians is available to the public to assist and clarify doubts on topics such as acquisition and certification of seedlings and Plant Transit Permit (PTV). In addition, producers and visitors will be able to check information regarding the Citrus Cancro/HLB report that must be submitted in the GEDAVE computerized system by 15/07.

In addition to the van, Defense is highlighted in the Citriculture Week program with a lecture to be given by its coordinator, Luís Fernando Bianco, who on the occasion will address the actions carried out by the Coordination to control HLB Greening. The activity takes place on Wednesday (8) from 14:30 pm in the auditorium of the Sylvio Moreira Citriculture Center.