Last month, the International Citrus Congress, held in Foz do Iguacu, Brazil, brought together a wide range of people involved in the citrus industry. It was attended by around 1000 delegates from 55 countries. This event is held every four years in different locations around the world.
Gisborne citrus growers made up the majority of a New Zealand delegation to the congress. They were First Fresh technical manager and citrus orchard owner, Matt Carter, Makauri growers, Delise and Andrew Ellmers, and Sally Anderson from New Zealand Citrus Growers Incorporated (NZCGI). As well as the small New Zealand contingent, there were around 20 people there from the Australian Citrus Industry.
North and South American delegates were numerous, as were people in their own backyard, so-to-speak, from Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Paraguay and the USA.
The programme opened with some brief overview presentations on the International Society for Citriculture, and the Brazilian Citrus Industry.
“The Congress ran for five days, with a day off in the middle of the week for sightseeing and recuperation.
“Keynote speakers filled the first two sessions each day, until mid-morning, covering a wide range of topics, including the global juice market, pest control strategies, climate change, GMO’s and nutrition,” said Mr Carter.
Following the speakers, a series of concurrent sessions were run on an even wider range of topics, where scientific papers were presented on citrus research being undertaken all over the world.
There was a big focus on the insect pest, Asian Citrus Psyllid, and the disease that it carries — Huanglongbing, or Citrus Greening, which has devastated citrus orchards in Florida in particular, but also other US states, South America and Asia.
“This is a major concern for New Zealand and Australian citrus growers, and it is good to know there is a huge amount of work going into all aspects of control for this problem. This work includes pest control, tree health and nutrition, plus rootstock and variety selection for resistance and tolerance,” he said.
