Better quality apples expected in the state of Santa Catarina

The state of Santa Catarina, one of the largest apple producers in Brazil, begins the harvest with exceptional quality, according to a local media. Despite a decrease in the volume harvested, farmers expect fruits with a better taste and appearance, and, as a result, more valued in the domestic and global markets.

The region expects a harvest of 601.5 thousand tons, which constitutes more than half of the entire volume produced in Brazil. Despite the impacts of the drought, growers do not doubt the quality of the harvested fruit. Sweeter apples are characteristic of drier years, according to the executive director of the Brazilian Association of Apple Producers, Moisés Lopes de Albuquerque.

The state has some 3,000 producers, mostly family farmers from the São Joaquim and Fraiburgo region. The main varieties produced in Santa Catarina are Fuji and Gala.