United Kingdom delegation meets sustainable production units supported by Para Govt

UK Department of Foreign Affairs Secretary General for Development Nick Dyer and Deputy Consul Melanie Hopkins visited Bara this Thursday (14), where they learned about State Government-supported efforts to promote living forests. . The delegation was received by the Committee of the State Secretariat for Environment and Sustainability (SEMAS) for companies located in the municipalities of Abedetuba and Belem metropolitan area in the northeast of the state. Nick Dyer visited institutions receiving support from the state government

In Abedetuba, the team visited Cofruta (a fruit producer cooperative) that works with fruit pulps such as acerola, caja and acai, as well as others on a smaller scale and with dried and fermented cubuazu seeds. Cofruta, through its 131 members, continues to promote the replanting of fruit trees and the restoration of areas degraded by extraction practices.

The cooperative has an eco-certificate for acai produced by the Ecomarket Institute (IMO) in Switzerland, certifying that the fruit is managed without harming the environment, and is supported by the Para government through the state. Plan BioEconomy, which promotes businesses and initiatives that help promote the economic transition to a model based on low carbon emissions.

The worker gathers seeds and preserves trees: The transition to a sustainable economyStanding Forest -“We organize our members to collect fruits that can be used to make beauty products. Over time, I learned that a standing forest is more valuable than cutting down a tree. When we started selling seeds, we only worked with acai, I also started collecting other seeds, anteropa, murumuru and some fruits. We started to realize that selling seeds is more valuable than selling trees. This is very beneficial not only for economic reasons but also for environmental reasons. We have to protect it, because if we don't do it today, we will feel climate change more and more,” highlights Ivanildo Quaresma, president of Cofruda.

The cooperative manages an industrial fruit processing unit with an installed capacity of 800 kg per day, and currently supplies seeds to a cosmetics company located in Benevides that produces oils and soaps sold in Brazil and other countries. A delegation also visited the company.

“We were at CaFruta, which produces fruit and sends it to a large cosmetics company to make products like soaps. This is really the future; our biodiversity conservation. We're excited to learn about an initiative that adds value to communities, families and local forests, and makes money from it,” said general secretary Nick. Dyer noted.

“This exciting project demonstrates the importance of partnership and sustainability in addition to the economic opportunities it creates. The UK is proud to be the third largest donor to the International Climate Fund here in Brazil,” added Melanie Hopkins.

Motivation and change – Camila Miranda, responsible for the bioeconomy, strategic plans and bioeconomy agenda at Semas, highlighted the cooperative's performance in line with PlanBio's objectives. “Cofruta is an example of a business that works in line with the state's objectives established in the bioeconomy plan. Currently, they offer a large cosmetics company, and with further promotion and acceleration, they can further expand their range of customers, thereby contributing to our larger objective of zero carbon emissions from 2036. Can, he said.

“It is very satisfying for us, because we offer products that have been transformed into our final products, butter and oils. It is very important because it adds value and creates quality of life. All these products that we are working on here, before we took it for granted; we also did not know. Tukuma is a Pest. In the past, cassava was burned to cultivate, today what was a pest has become a source of income for producers and members,” explained Angela Prieto, a member of CoFruda.