What is Citrus Greeing and how does it affect global citrus production?

01 Nov What is Citrus Greeing and how does it affect global citrus production?

Citrus greening (also known as huanglongbing or HLB) is a disease that affects citrus fruits, including oranges, lemons, limes and grapefruits. It is caused by a bacteria called Candidatus Liberibacter spp., which is mainly transmitted by insects, such as the Asian citrus psyllid.

This disease affects both the quality and quantity of the fruit produced. Symptoms of citrus greening include yellowed, asymmetrical and deformed leaves, as well as small, bitter fruits that do not ripen properly. As the disease progresses, infected trees become weak and may die within a few years.

This problem has been affecting many countries for years, but this year we are seeing the problem in all its magnitude, where the world supply of oranges is being drastically reduced and prices are at prices never seen before due to the lack of a world fruit market.

How does citrus greeing affect global juice production?

Citrus greening has had a significant impact on the citrus industry in many parts of the world, causing considerable economic losses. Efforts to control the disease include removal of infected trees, use of insecticides to control vectors, research into resistant citrus varieties, and development of integrated pest management techniques.

In today’s world, citrus production and supply have faced a fundamental challenge: the control of citrus greening, a devastating disease that affects citrus trees in various regions.

Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), has proven to be a major problem for the citrus juice and concentrate industry, impacting both the quantity and quality of the fruit produced, and consequently the juice market.

The fight against citrus greening has become an integral part of the management of citrus production worldwide. The volumes of citrus that reach international markets depend largely on the effectiveness of the control strategies for this disease. As research and innovation continue to advance, the citrus industry is expected to find more effective and sustainable ways to manage and mitigate the effects of citrus greening, thereby ensuring a stable and healthy supply of citrus.

In the coming years we will be able to see how some countries that are currently large citrus producers will move to a second position in the manufacture of fruit for juices and concentrates due to the mortality of the trees and the drop in fruit production.

This problem will certainly not be solved in a year, and it is most likely that during the next two or three years we will not be able to recover the market.

The rise in prices caused by the lack of citrus is causing the consumer to inevitably opt for other fruits such as apples and grapes.

This is causing the entire juice market to be dragged down only by the price increases in citrus fruits.

World harvests have also been somewhat reduced by climate change, but although the decrease in consumption due to the rise in inflation predicted that we would not have these increases, it finally seems that the entire juice market is going to move upward.