The 3,500 families, that live from the citrus industry in the Caí Valley, will harvest by the end of this season the equivalent of 140,000 tons of tangerines, a decline of 25% less than last season. The numbers reflect how much the drought has affected Rio Grande do Sul.
To circumvent the problem and add value in the market, farmers from Caí Valley are adopting a technique applied before the fruit reaches the point of harvest, when it is still green.
A single tree produces around 4,000 mandarins. Historically, about 2,000 to 2,500 were harvested still green so that others could grow. Now, the tons of fruits that were discarded are reused, increasing the farmer's income.
The secret is in the green fruit's peel, from which oil is extracted and being sold to the cosmetics industry. Each box of green mandarin, previously discarded, can generate up to R$ 6 for the producer.
Source: G1