The 2025/2026 acerola harvest in São Paulo is expected to be challenging due to delayed rainfall, lower consumption, and increasing competition from production in Brazil's Northeast. Uncertainty is affecting producers in Junqueirópolis, in western São Paulo state, a municipality long recognised as a key acerola production area.
"If it reaches 850 or 900 tons, that will already be good. Maybe it won't even reach that," said Osvaldo Silva, president of the Junqueirópolis Agricultural Cooperative, which normally markets around 1,200 tons per year. A decade ago, production in the municipality reached up to 7,000 tons per harvest.
The acerola season in São Paulo typically starts in October, following spring rains, but extended drought conditions delayed this year's production, with volumes only picking up in early December. "The acerola tree produces quickly. After flowering, it ripens in 20 to 25 days. We should have harvested one bloom and already be entering the second. This didn't happen uniformly," Silva said. Acerola trees usually allow five to six harvests per year between October and May, and at least one flowering cycle is expected to be lost this season.
Producer José Barbosa, who grows acerola in nearby Irapuru, harvested about 17,000 kilos in the first flowering. "We don't know exactly how the rest of the harvest will go, but if there's demand, we'll harvest," he said. Last season, Barbosa harvested around 70,000 kilos from four hectares. He expects a similar volume this year, but remains uncertain about pricing.
Prices have dropped to around R$2.50 per kilo, equivalent to about US$0.50, compared with R$2.80 per kilo or US$0.56 three years ago. Earlier sales in 2025 were at R$2.70 per kilo, or US$0.54. According to producers, fruit is left unharvested when there is insufficient demand, as frozen acerola faces quality and market constraints.
All fruit from the region is sold through the cooperative, mainly for the fresh market, and shipped daily to processors and buyers in Jundiaí, Cabreúva, Tatuí, and the São Paulo metropolitan area. Industry inventories remain elevated following reduced consumption this year.
Competition from the Northeast continues to affect the São Paulo market. According to IBGE, northeastern states account for over 70 per cent of Brazil's estimated 60,000 tons of acerola production. Much of this output targets vitamin C processing, with green acerola preferred due to higher vitamin C levels. "The value of green acerola is double that of ripe acerola," Silva said.
Additional challenges include labour availability and an ageing producer base. "Labor is a serious problem. It's a seasonal activity," Silva said, noting limited generational succession among growers.
Source: Globo Rural / Abrafrutas
