Citrus greening spreads to nearly half of Brazil’s groves

Brazil’s orange industry is facing one of its toughest challenges as citrus greening disease spreads relentlessly across the country’s main producing regions. New figures from Fundecitrus show that nearly 48% of groves in São Paulo and Minas Gerais are now infected, marking the eighth consecutive year of rising cases.

The impact on production is clear. For the 2024/25 season, output is expected to reach only 230.9 million boxes (40.8 kg each) — the lowest in years. Looking ahead, Fundecitrus has cut its 2025/26 forecast by 2.5%, from 314.6 million to 306.74 million boxes, citing the severity of the disease.

Greening, caused by bacteria carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, weakens trees and leaves fruit small, misshapen, and bitter. According to Brazilian media, the disease causes around $120 million in losses annually in Brazil, which is the world’s largest orange and orange juice exporter.

The problem extends beyond Brazil. In the United States, Florida has struggled with greening for more than a decade, forcing the state to rely heavily on imports from Brazilian groves. Globally, the disease has killed over 50 million citrus trees in Asia and 10 million in Africa in the last seven years.

With favourable weather continuing to support the spread of the bacteria, growers fear Brazil’s citrus belt could face even deeper losses if effective controls are not implemented quickly.

source: reuters.com

photo: citrusindustry.net