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Energy
-
boosting fruit
Fruit produced in the North experiences an
upward trend indemand and production, in excess
of 17% in 2017 to almost 1.3million tons
Fruit of the moment, enriched with vita-
mins and minerals and, in particular, widely
considered one of the most energetic foods,
Brazilian açaí, produced in the North, “has
provedtobeanexcellentalternativeforcom-
mercialization at home and abroad”, ob-
servesGeraldoTavares, FruticultureManager
at the State Secretariat of Agricultural Devel-
opment and Fishery (Sedap), in Pará, State
that is responsible for 80% of its production.
Commenting on the ever-growing supply of
the fruit, which has been going on for years,
he stresses that it is still running behind de-
mand,which is constantly rising.
“With the exception of 2014, when pro-
duction receded slightly, due to bad weath-
erconditions,thehistoricalseriesofthe2010-
2017periodshowsanuptrend inproduction,
by virtue of native açaí plantations in mead-
owlands now being managed to maximize
production, and the establishment of irrigat-
ed açaí fields in highland areas, and harvest
takes place after the normal açaí season”,
says Tavares. He cites data collected by the
Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statis-
tics(IBGE)inPará,pointingtoaproductionof
1.27million tons in 2017, with a planted area
of upwards of 188 hectares, and production
up17.86%%fromtheprevious year.
The Integration Regions in Tocantins and
Marajóaretheleadingproducersofthefruitin
Pará. They account for around 80%of the to-
tal crop and, therefore, according to Tavares,
they are given priority when it comes to pub-
lic policies focused on the increase of produc-
tion, like the Açaí Supply Chain Development
Program(Pró-Açaí),launchedinJanuary2016
by Sedap. The main açaí producing munici-
palities in the State are as follows: IgarapéMiri
and Portel, with 22% and 21% respectively,
Abaetetuba (8.6%), Cametá (7.9%), Barcarena
(6.0%)andBujaru(5.5%).
About 85% of the entire production is
consumed in the State, where the fruit is an
integral part of the population’s eating hab-
its. In the Metropolitan Region in Belém
152 thousand liters of açaí are consumed a
day, in more than five thousand sales out-
lets, during the season, says Tavares. On the
other hand, the fruit has captured consum-
er attention in other regions at home and
