Orange Sun

The Secretariat for Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo will form a working group, consisting of producers, companies and local associations, to fight citrus greening, the main disease of orange groves. According to the Secretary of Agriculture of São Paulo, Mr. Arnaldo Jardim, the work focuses on the disease control in areas without management, reduction of sources of contamination and awareness actions. “This is part of a policy whose goal is to advance research and disseminate management,” said the secretary.

The announcement was made during Citrus Week, a traditional fair that took place in the first week of June at the Sylvio Moreira Citrus Center, in the city of Cordeirópolis, countryside of São Paulo. In addition to bringing together the productive chain to discuss the opportunities and challenges of the sector, the event is focused on the dissemination of knowledge and has several free technical lectures on topics such as pest control, best agricultural practices, productivity, among others.

For the president of Fundecitrus, Mr. Lourival Monaco, the project of the Secretariat will help to make society aware of the risk of citrus greening. “You have to understand that citrus greening is not only a technical problem but also an economic one,” he explains.