The planting of strawberries in the south of Minas is going through significant changes this year with the introduction of new varieties of the plant. This factor, together with bad weather, should result in a total harvest in this winter season lower than in 2022.
Agronomist engineer Raul Maria Cássia, regional coordinator of Emater-MG in Pouso Alegre, says that the productivity of strawberry crops in 2023 has been affected by the low maturation of the fruits caused by excessive cold and other adversities in the climate, which has resulted in a reduction in the supply of strawberries in the retail market.
In the last month of July, 420 tons of strawberries were offered in the Greater BH area. A reduction of 11.67% in relation to the supply of July 2022. In the opposite direction, the price of a kilo of the extra type product at Ceasa Minas increased by 24.9% between July 2022 and the same month of 2023.
The Emater-MG coordinator explains that the increased use of strawberry varieties with neutral days (less sensitive to variations in daily luminosity), replacing short-day varieties (more adapted to winter, with fewer daily hours of sunlight), led to a drop in production in the colder months of this year. “However, this situation is transitory, and it is expected that the offer will improve from spring onwards, with the increase in hours of sunshine and temperatures,” estimates Raul Maria Cássia.
Source: abrafrutas.org