Brazil’s Pelotas region expects up to 40% increase in peach harvest

Peach producers in Pelotas — a historic fruit-growing region in Rio Grande do Sul, southern Brazil — are forecasting one of their strongest harvests in years, supported by a winter that delivered ideal conditions for crop development.

The harvest will officially begin on 19 November, and growers expect to collect 40,000–45,000 tonnes of peaches by January — an increase of up to 40% compared with 2024, when production reached 30,000 tonnes.

According to Adriano Bosenbecker, president of the Pelotas Peach Producers Association, the season benefited from a long, stable cold period with abundant “chill hours”, essential for plant dormancy and uniform flowering.

Peach production in Pelotas and nearby municipalities — including Morro Redondo, Canguçu, Capão do Leão, Piratini, Arroio do Padre and Cerrito — is largely driven by approximately 900 family farmers. Production is widely distributed, with the largest farm accounting for less than 1% of the previous harvest.

Pelotas is recognised as Brazil’s main industrial centre for processed peaches, thanks to the concentration of factories historically located in Pelotas, Capão do Leão and Morro Redondo. This cluster dominates national output.

“When you pick up peach jam in any supermarket in Brazil, there’s a 95% chance it was made here,” Bosenbecker noted, highlighting the region’s overwhelming share of processed peach production.

source: abrafrutas.org

photo: valor.globo.com