Annona Species Monograph.pdf - Crops for the Future

Chapter 12. Economic Information
In south-eastern Brazil, an orchard (417 trees/ha) of 6-year-old sugar apple
trees can produce 60 fruits per plant (Lucas, 1994). This suggests that it is
possible for sugar apple growers to obtain yields of 25,000 fruits/ha (12.5
t/ha). In July 1996, the price of sugar apple was US$ 0.40 per unit of fresh
fruit (Kavati, 1997), resulting in a gross income of US$ 10,000/ha. However,
the price of fruit has decreased since then due to a greater supply. In May
2003, the price of fresh sugar apple fruit (500 g weight) in Brasilia, Brazil's
capital, was US$ 0.37 per fruit, therefore with the same yield as in 1996, the
gross income would be US$ 9,250 in 2003. Even with the costs of production
at about 30% of the income per hectare for productive plants, this profit is
very good for Brazilian sugar apple growers.
In the semi-arid tropical São Francisco Valley, at Petrolina, Pernambuco,
Brazil, sugar apple trees under irrigation can produce two harvests: a main
harvest during the rainy season with a high yield (80 fruits/plant), and a
second harvest during the dry season with a lower yield (20 fruits/plant),
totalling approximately 21 t/ha per year. The semi-arid climatic conditions
help to guarantee better fruit quality, translating into a better price and
allowing a gross income at the fresh fruit market in Petrolina, of US$ 7,770,
even allowing for the lower prices of 2003 (US$ 0.28 per 500 g fruit).
However, if these semi-arid growers focus on the major Brazilian market in
São Paulo, via the Central Food Clearing House of São Paulo State
(CEAGESP), and considering an estimated cost-of-production of 22% of the
gross income, their profitability will be much lower than that of São Paulo
growers producing in the same period, due to the cost of transportation, since
the São Francisco Valley is about 1,200 km from São Paulo.
12.1.2 Production, productivity and value
The estimated production area of cherimoya in the world in 1994 was 13,500
hectares and, considering an average yield of 6 t/ha, the total production was
estimated at 81,000 t (PROCIANDINO, 1997). Spain, with more than 3,000
ha, is the most important cherimoya producer in the world, and Peru and
Chile are the most important producers in South America, with areas larger
than 1000 ha (Requena, 1998). These three cherimoya producing countries
account for 46% of this total area. Chile had an average yield in 1998 of 25
t/ha, which is 4 times higher than the world average and 2.1 times higher than
Spain (Table 12.2). Chile produced, for the internal market, more than 8,000
t in 1995 and currently has exported only 3% of its total production (Table
143