According to producer Luis Roberto Barcelos, director of the Brazilian Association of Fruit Exporters and Derivatives (Abrafrutas), one of the main products exported by Rio Grande do Norte, fresh fruits such as melons are expected to see a production drop of between 15 and 20% in 2022. In 2021, the melon harvest in RN exceeded 300,000 tons and had a turnover 15% higher than the previous year.
“People are very worried. This year, we are experiencing a situation that we have never seen before. Excessive rain, which is not good for the beginning of the harvest, although it is good for the medium and long term. And we had an increase in inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, packaging, diesel, energy. Everything went up too much,” said the producer.
Another problem for entrepreneurs is the exchange rate. This is because the fruits exported by Rio Grande do Norte are traded in Euros – a currency that became cheaper than the dollar for the first time in 20 years.
In addition, producers are finding themselves in the midst of logistical problems, which should make it difficult to ship goods at regional ports.
Source: abrafrutas.org