The major lime growing region, in the State of São Paulo in Brazil, is struggling with wildfires caused by harsh dry weather that has led to a drought. This while the other part of the country has had record rain and flooding in recent months.
According to Sérgio Negrão, CEO and one of the founders of the exporter Jagrao in Brazil, “The state of São Paulo is going through a severe drought. There are many fires, especially fires in sugar cane plantations. These are a real powder keg. The fire spreads to other plantations, such as limes, oranges, etc., and has also caused many accidents. We urgently need rain.”
The state of São Paulo is the main limes growing region, where a lot of other export fruit is grown too, FreshPlaza notes. “In the state of São Paulo, due to the lack of rain, we have few limes and they need rain to grow. For limes, it is the most productive state. The drought is affecting production. The water reservoirs are drying up, preventing irrigation. In the northeast it’s the opposite, it rained a lot and limes are already past the point of being harvested,” states Negrão.
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Brazil’s National Institute for Space Research (Inpe) data shows that from 1 January to 25 July 2024, the state of São Paulo recorded the highest number of fires in the last 14 years – 1,649 fire outbreaks were recorded, more than double the number reported in the same period in 2023.
Long term climate projections offer only bad news for the state – heat waves are likely to continue into the future, threatening fruit growing. Researchers from the Geological Institute and the Environmental Company of the State of São Paulo (Cetesb) indicates that part of the state could become up to 6°C hotter by 2050, in addition to having heat waves lasting more than 150 days. “My farms are affected by the drought, but other farmers have had their farms burned by fire,” concludes Negrão.
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