Association Fundecitrus provides update on impact of drought that has hampered production and forced growers to harvest much earlier
In its first harvest report for the 2024/25 season, Brazilian association Fundecitrus says growers in the areas of São Paulo and Minas Gerais known as the Citrus Belt will produce just below 215.8mn cartons of oranges this season, 7.1 per cent down from its initial forecast in May of nearly 232.4mn cartons.
According to Fundecitrus, the forecast is 16.6mn cartons lower due to smaller fruit sizes, the result of hot and dry weather conditions during the first four months of the growing season that were “worse than expected”.
More than half the crop was reportedly harvested under drought conditions, it said, and a sharp decrease in annual rainfall was compounded by higher temperatures that also sped up ripening.
A need to minimise losses from citrus greening contributed to an early harvest too, it added. As a result, 45 per cent of the total crop had already been picked by mid-August, compared with around 30 per cent in other campaigns.
