Producers in Northwest São Paulo are making long-term investments in orchards where their new production can take a decade for the first harvest. However, the profitability of fruits – which stand out for their exotic beauty and little-known flavors, such as dragon fruit, lychee and mangosteen - guarantee a differentiated fruit growing market, which can reach sales of up to R$ 300 (per kilo) for the growers.
Although dragon fruit, lychees and mangosteen do not make it to the table of Brazilian consumers that often, many growers are now investing in this cultivation. All of these exotics are gaining space in supermarkets, becoming increasingly popular with the public.
Agronomist Gilberto Massami Watanabe, from the Casa da Agricultura de Lavínia, recommends caution for producers who are going to invest in exotic fruits, especially lychee and mangosteen. “They are fruits of excellent earnings for the producer, but they do not produce very quickly like other fruit trees. Lychee, for example, can take more than ten years to be commercially produced,” he points out.
Source: abrafrutas.org