JBS Fund for the Amazon is supporting the açaí plant operations of cooperative members in Amapá

A plant of the cooperative açai producers, which has just been inaugurated in Macapá, will come on stream in 2022 with the support of the JBS Fund for the Amazon for the Inclusive Community Economies Project. The factory serves to accelerate Amazonbai, a cooperative of açaí producers residing and producing in the so-called Bailique archipelago, a group of eight islands located in the estuary of the Amazon River, and in the region of Beira Amazonas, in eastern Amapá state.    

Amazonbai currently consists of 132 cooperative members working to the concept of environmentally sustainable production, respecting the preservation of the native biome. The cooperative members themselves provide careful management that results in a purer açaí pulp that meets the highest standards of quality and concentration in the market. Now, with the recently inaugurated açaí plant, the cooperative members will capture a new and more profitable slice of the market, commercializing the pulp directly, accessing industries, retailers and even direct sales to final consumers. 

It is estimated that the plant will result in the production in 2022 of 377,000 liters of açaí pulp and it is expected to be ready to commercialize its products in January 2022. Moreover, with the support of the Fund, Amazonbai is planning to expand its activities to reach around 240 cooperative members.

“Our intention with the plant is to take the açaí pulp we produce, through our own efforts and with special handling precautions, to consumers in other regions and states. We are no longer just going to sell açaí fruit, but the value-added end-product. This will be transformational for all our cooperative members”, points out Amiraldo Picanço, president of Amazonbai.

“Opportunities like these that help to truly transform the lives of the small producers in the Amazon region are precisely what we are looking for in the Fund. Our role is to offer the conditions for the sustainable growth and socioeconomic development of the region. That is why we are very satisfied with what Amazonbai has achieved”, highlights Joanita Maestri Karoleski, president of the JBS Fund for the Amazon.    

To support the plant’s operations, the Fund will inject a total of R$ 7 million over the next three years. The objective is to guarantee the necessary bases so that the cooperative members can bring their production processes to maturity and consolidate them over time. The support of the JBS Fund for the region is not just confined to Amazonbai. In all, around R$ 15,9 million will be invested in actions involving the Inclusive Community Economies Project, which include vocational training workshops, the installation of water treatment structures in the region and encouragement for greater participation by women and young people in activities involving the açai chain, among others. 

One of the fronts for this support also includes the operation of two family-schools to serve the children of the cooperative families of Amazonbai. Under the project, around 5% of the cooperative’s result will be used to support the operation and to pay for the spaces. “The school will offer quality education to the children of the producers who, today, have no access or who need to travel miles by boat to be able to study”, says Rosana Blasio, executive manager of the JBS Fund for the Amazon. “This makes us very proud because investing in education is one the Fund’s expectations”, she adds.      

Amazonbai is a sustainable reference 

The support of the JBS Fund for the Amazon for Amazonbai can also be explained by the various sustainable practices of the cooperative, which owns the only açai plantation certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC®), the world’s most recognized green seal, and which offers acknowledgement of good practices for institutions in over 75 countries on every continent. “This certification is a major recognition, as our açaí is cultivated in as of a natural manner as possible, without using pesticides, machines and fertilizers, in addition to being handled only by the producers”, says a happy Amiraldo Picanço (President of Amazonbai).

The FSC seal guarantees that every phase of the açaí cultivation process was undertaken respecting Brazilian legislation, workers’ rights and every precaution with environmental conservation. “We are very excited to be supporting the operation of the Amazonbai açaí plant. This support is here to consolidate the link between the Fund and the cooperative, directly contributing to the conservation of the forest and to generating income for the local community”, concludes Rosana.

• Environment