SAO PAULO - Orange output in the main producing region in Brazil should reach a volume slightly bigger than initially expected due to favorable rains, an industry group said on Thursday.
According to Fundecitrus , a body representing fruit producers and the juice industry, 2015-16 orange production in Sao Paulo and in Minas Gerais states will reach 286.14 million boxes (40.8 kg), 2.6 percent above a May estimate.
"The change in the projection is due to the size of the fruits, which are bigger than expected," said Fundecitrus in a report.
Fundecitrus did not have an estimate for last year's crop. Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of orange juice.
According to Ibiapaba Neto, a director at CitrusBR, an orange juice exporters association, ample rains in recent months have increased expectations for the size of the crop, but will result in worse industrial yields.
ADVERTISEMENT
"The rains led to multiple flowerings in the farms, causing an uneven maturation," he said.
For that reason, he believes total juice production will be below an earlier forecast of 889,000 tonnes (concentrate equivalent), despite a larger-than-expected crop.
"The fruits are big, but there is a lot of water in them," said Ibiapaba Neto.
The harvest is heading into its final leg. By the end of November, 72 percent of the crop had been harvested, according to Fundecitrus.
