Beatters and producers from different Integration Regions of the State will gather in Belém, the national capital of açaí
More than 500 producers and beaters will participate in this third edition, which starts this Thursday (12), with the distribution of 300 liters of açaí at the Açaí Port, and extends for two more days (13 and 14) at the Hangar.
For 25 years working with the sale of açaí in the capital of Pará, entrepreneur Cleide Silva, owner of the "Açaibond+" point on Cipriano Santos Avenue in Canudos, is looking forward to participating in another edition of the Açaí Pará Festival, which will take place on the next days 13 and 14 (Friday and Saturday) at the Hangar Convention Center. The program is an initiative of the State Government, through the Secretary of Agricultural Development and Fisheries (Sedap). The initial program will be marked by the traditional "avuado" at the Açaí Port this Thursday (12), between 5 AM and 8 AM, with the distribution of 300 liters of açaí.
For the açaí beater, who will participate for the third time, the event, along with other initiatives from the State Government, serves as an incentive for workers in the field to improve the product provided to the final consumer every day.
“Thanks to the actions of the State Government, with incentives, training, and investments in infrastructure, açaí beaters have gained more dignity, security, and recognition for the essential work they do every day. Support for formalization, improvement of working conditions, and appreciation of the native product is a fundamental step to ensure economic and cultural sustainability for our people,” she emphasized.
For the worker, it is satisfying to recognize the efforts of the State Government in valuing and strengthening the açaí production chain, especially “our tireless beaters, true guardians of one of the greatest riches of the Amazon. Congratulations to the State Government for being alongside those who put their hands to work, or rather, in the seed! Açaí pulses in the veins of our people, and with this support, the strength of our sacred food tends to grow,” she highlighted.
Incentive - For the Secretary of Agricultural Development and Fisheries, Giovanni Queiroz, the realization of the festival is important for stimulating and encouraging the participation of açaí beaters and producers.
“It is a fruit for which we produce 90% of the national consumption, it has already won Brazil and is winning the world; the açaí industry in Pará has a formidable demand. With this event, we bring to light the importance of açaí, with extraordinary richness in its chemical composition; we will stimulate new plantings and investments in the sector,” said Queiroz.
During the program, the public will have the opportunity to appreciate not only the açaí produced in the capital of Pará but also those from different Integration Regions - municipalities like Igarapé-Miri and Abaetetuba, for example, from the Tocantins Integration Region, which are among the largest producers of the fruit in Pará.
Hegemony - Representatives of the segment want to show the world that açaí is from Pará, thus affirming the hegemony of the State, as emphasized by the director of Fairs and Markets of Sedap, Manoel Rendeiro.
“The Açaí Festival comes to certify that açaí is ours, it is from Pará. The State is the absolute producer of the fruit. So we have to honor this food, showing the world that the true açaí is produced here,” he stressed.
The investments of the State Government to stimulate the production of the fruit range from the provision of materials, such as machinery and personal protective equipment (PPE), to monitoring in cultivation, through technical assistance work. Also part of the actions is the work focused on the phytosanitary care of the product, through the State Health Surveillance and, in the case of the capital, in partnership with the Municipal Surveillance of Belém.
“During the festival, we will have the largest group of beaters being trained at the same time. We will offer training with guidelines on good practices through the Health Surveillance of Belém and the State; at the end, in addition to certificates, participants will receive PPE,” Rendeiro informed.
Absolute leader, according to IBGE - According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Pará produces more than 90% of açaí in Brazil. The annual average production is almost 1 million and 700 thousand tons of the fruit.
There are more than 100 thousand plants planted throughout the State, according to the institute. The dominance in production is from Igarapé-Miri (northeast of Pará), with 422.24 thousand tons, followed by Cametá (157.32 thousand tons) and Abaetetuba (112.00 thousand tons).
There are more than 225 thousand tons of harvested area - Regarding the job market linked to açaí, Pará showed a positive variation of 864.5% in the number of formal employment links between the years 2010 and 2022. Between 2021 and 2022, the variation in this regard was 107.6%, rising from 288 to 598 links, an increase of 310 formal positions, according to a study by the Amazon Foundation for Support of Studies and Research (Fapespa).
