The price of the pear variety orange traded in the State of São Paulo reached the highest level in 30 years. A 40.8 kg box of fruit, on the fresh market, sold for over R$100 this March.
According to Cepea (Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics), from Esalq/USP, it is the highest value ever seen in the historical series of this product, which began in October 1994, according to this Tuesday’s bulletin (19).
Orange price in the Brazilian market
The main factor in the appreciation of the fruit, according to Cepea, is the lack of supply in this off-season, in addition to other varieties (late and early) also having a controlled volume. This upward movement in price has been happening since January of this year.
In this period, between March and April, the typical market movement is the fall in orange prices, with the harvest of early varieties, but the high industrial demand for the fruit, during the 2023/24 season, also further restricted the available fruit. in the domestic market and prevented market devaluations.
According to Cepea researchers, at least for March, prices should remain high, due to the pace of growth in the supply of early oranges in the São Paulo spot still being slow.
Fall in the 2024/25 harvest
For the 2024/25 harvest, agents’ expectations regarding the volume to be harvested are not very optimistic, as the expected production should be lower than the current one, due to the disease. greening and heat waves caused by El Niño, which should make harvesting this year difficult.
Oranges have an annual production cycle, which varies according to the variety and region. In general, they bloom in the spring and mature in the fall or winter. Brazil is the world’s largest producer of oranges and orange juice, exporting to several countries. São Paulo is the state that produces the most fruit in Brazil.
