The São Paulo citrus industry, which in 2019 was one of the main employment generating cultures of São Paulo, with 46,700 admissions second CAGED data also has shown a real environmental heritage. A survey by Fundecitrus, research center that brings together producers and industry, shows that in the last 30 years the industry has reduced its production area by 40%, from 631,000 hectares in 1988 to 376,000 hectares in the current harvest. In the same period, productivity increased from 13.75 tons per hectare to an average of 42.64 tons per hectare of orange, a 210% jump. “In recent years the citrus industry has evolved with the use of technology and more efficient cropping systems, which allowed to increase production using fewer natural resources,” explains the executive director of CitrusBR, Ibiapaba Netto.
With more efficient production, the sector managed to secure a production in harmony with biodiversity. Data Fundecitrus, crossed with information Environmental Rural Registry (CAR) and the IBGE show that in 2019/2020 crop properties with citrus totaled 181,750 hectares of native forest. Whereas a total of oranges planted area is 459 058 hectares for each 2.52 hectares planted with citrus, 1 hectare is occupied with forest area.
Another aspect that shows the sustainability of the industry is the production intercropped with honey. Over the past 10 years, the production of honey in orange areas of the State of São Paulo grew 136%. With use of technologies and rational application of chemical pesticides, the honey produced in this area now represents 84% of São Paulo production of the product.
The care of nature did not take the competitiveness of the production chain. In the last crop production volume was 376,000 orange boxes of 40,8kg, according to Fundecitrus. This represents a 80% production growth compared to the 213 million boxes produced in 1988. “The São Paulo citrus industry now has a sustainable model that allows to reconcile environmental protection with full-scale production that allows Brazil account for 31% of world production of orange, 58% of world production of orange juice and 74% of international trade in orange juice, “said Netto.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.