Brazilian citrus farming plays a strategic role in environmental sustainability, a recent article from Fundecitrus reported.
The citrus industry demonstrates significant potential to contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases, either through carbon sequestration or the adoption of more sustainable agricultural practices.
Between 2022 and 2024, Embrapa Territorial, in partnership with Fundecitrus, conducted a project to map and quantify carbon stocks in the Brazilian Citrus Belt. The study, funded by the British company Innocent Drinks, covered the state of São Paulo and the Triângulo and Southwest regions of Minas Gerais.
Results indicated the region stores about 36 million tons of carbon, considering the orange groves, preserved native vegetation areas and the carbon accumulated in the soil. In total, 496,000 hectares were analyzed, including 337,000 hectares of productive groves and 159,000 hectares of preservation areas.
The carbon project data currently estimates that 37.9 million tons of carbon are stored in plants and soil, which corresponds to approximately 139 million tons of carbon dioxide trapped in orange groves. That reinforces the environmental role of Brazilian citrus farming. This volume is equivalent to the annual emissions of approximately 30 million gasoline-powered cars.
“It is as if citriculture removed that amount of gas emitted by all those cars and stored it in the orange trees, soil and native vegetation of citrus farms, contributing to climate change mitigation,” said Embrapa Territorial researcher and project coordinator Lauro Rodrigues Nogueira Júnior.
Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas, primarily generated by deforestation and by the burning of fossil fuels and biomass.
“In the Citrus Belt, carbon is stored in orange trees and other preserved trees in the region,” Nogueira said. “It is impressive how groves and green areas, year after year, manage to absorb (carbon dioxide) from the atmosphere, significantly contributing to mitigating the effects of global warming.”
“The Brazilian citriculture has been making progress in adopting sustainable practices, which enhances its reputation in the international market and adds value to orange juice,” Nogueira added. “At the same time, preserving forest remnants is essential, since they function as important carbon reservoirs.”
“The Brazilian citrus industry is modern, sustainable, and plays an indispensable role in environmental preservation,” said the coordinator of the Crop Forecast Survey at Fundecitrus, Guilherme Rodriguez. “Producers have always known that their activities contribute positively to the conservation of natural resources, and this data turns practical knowledge into technical, measurable and reliable information.”
Source: Fundecitrus
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