Orange production is affected by a bacteria, transmitted by an insect vector, which causes a fatal disease for citrus fruits.
Difficult to treat, it reduces the yield of Brazilian farms, also affected by drought.
As a result, the sector is suffering and is struggling to meet demand.
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Inflation: prices are soaring
She is responsible for the soaring prices of bottles of orange juice. Transmitted by an insect which carries the bacteria which causes it, yellow dragon disease, which affects citrus fruits, is spreading in South America and more particularly in Brazil, where 85% of the production of this fruit comes from. star breakfast drink.
In the south of the country, Caio Freire, manager of a plantation which exports 8,000 tonnes of oranges per year, has been fighting for years to preserve his farm, including fruits spoiled by disease, browned and stunted, litter the plots. Without intervention
the orange trees end up completely dry and ravaged, deplores Caio Freire in the 20H report above. But treatment for the disease is not very effective. By spraying the product supposed to repel insects carrying the incriminated bacteria, they adapt and resist better and better. It is therefore often necessary to uproot affected trees to stop contamination.
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Orange producers are also faced with another equally serious problem: drought. Brazil is facing episodes of extreme heat more and more frequently. The heat record was also broken in Rio a few months ago, where the mercury reached 58°C. A difficulty that Caio Freire must also face. “Look at these orange trees. They are all dry. The leaves are drying out and folding on themselves. The oranges are also drying out, they are becoming all soft”he regrets, pointing out the trees concerned to the TF1 camera.
Under these conditions, it is impossible for orange producers to produce as much fruit as before and thus meet demand. Harvests are historically low, 30% below their normal yield. There should therefore be a shortage of a billion liters, almost twice French consumption. And logically, prices are exploding: a tonne of oranges has gone from 650 euros in 2022 to 900 euros in 2024. It could even exceed 1,300 euros in the coming weeks. The price of orange juice in our French supermarkets should therefore not decrease in the short term.
