Last Wednesday, June 2nd, the Partners for the Amazon Platform (PPA) held another live broadcast of the “Campo em Debate” segment, part of the campaign Diverse Mosaic, and this time it dealt with the açaí production chain.
Denyse Mello, PPA Project Manager and moderator of the meeting, welcomed guests Maurício Navega (Operational Director of Sambazon) and Raimundo Brito (President of the Abaetetuba Fruit Growers’ Cooperative – Cofruta). During the event, participants discussed the açaí market and its international commercialization, as well as the connection with communities and the sustainable bias of production.
In his speech, Maurício presented the work developed by Sambazon, an international company operating in the Amazon, and its relationship with cooperatives – including Cofruta – and communities. He also spoke about the challenges arising from the growth of the chain and its importance for the conservation of sociobiodiversity. “Since its inception, Sambazon has tried to reconcile industrial production with respect for the environment and partnerships with people in the countryside, so that we can provide them with a return on what we produce,” he commented.
Raimundo Brito spoke about Cofruta as a pioneer in the commercialization of açaí and in the diversification and transformation of the food into pulp. In his presentation, he also spoke about the evolution of the cooperative and the management challenges faced in this process. “This rapprochement between companies and cooperatives is important. This way, they can understand how the entire chain works, have a differentiated product on the market and respond to the basic needs of cooperative members or farmers,” he said.
Are you curious? To watch the live broadcast in full, click below:
Observation: Due to connectivity issues, Raimundo Brito was unable to participate in the live broadcast. We forwarded the questions to him in the chat and his answers will soon be available at this link.
Be part of this network! For more information about the Diverse Mosaic campaign, visit: www.ppa.org.br/mosaicodiverso.