Pará's leadership in açaí production celebrated at public festival at Hangar
Until this Saturday (14), visitors will be able to appreciate and taste the product in its natural form or its derivatives in various formats: jams, sweets, preserves, cookies, among others. The event is promoted by the state government, through Sedap.
With the participation of more than 800 açaí beaters and producers from municipalities in different integration regions, the third edition of the Açaí Pará Festival officially began this Friday (13) at the Hangar Convention Center of the Amazon. Through a promotion by the State Government – via the Secretary of Agricultural Development and Fisheries (Sedap), the event aims to mark the arrival of the açaí harvest while also endorsing the State's leadership in açaí production. More than 90% of the crop comes from Pará.
Professionals who depend on açaí, such as Lindalva Figueiredo, an açaí beater for over 10 years from the Tapanã neighborhood, took advantage of the event to qualify. She said it was the first time she had the opportunity to take a training course on good açaí practices, although she has always taken all precautions to sell the product within the regulations at her point. She assures that she is very satisfied to have completed the learning.
“I found this learning wonderful. Açaí is everything to me. A source of income. A food that cannot be missing. It’s everything. It’s what provides my livelihood,” she said.
It was for beaters like Lindalva, who dedicate their whole lives to açaí, that Governor Helder Barbalho sent a message during his official opening speech of the festival.
“Açaí is ours. It belongs to Pará. We are happy to participate in an event like this, which precedes COP30 and values the açaí chain and all who compose it. I want to embrace all the workers who operate in this economic chain,” emphasized the head of the executive.
He reminded that currently the whole world knows açaí. The crop is one of the great instruments for recovering degraded areas, in addition to being one of the main economic activities of the State, generating employment for thousands of people.
During his participation in the opening ceremony, the governor symbolically handed over completion certificates to 10 açaí beaters. In total, 800 beaters participated simultaneously in the training.
The governor also announced that the state government will provide more equipment such as machines and whiteners to continue encouraging good practices for the product. Helder Barbalho also spoke about the future creation of a quality seal for açaí sales points.
Incentive- Designed through the Directorate of Fairs and Markets of Sedap, the Açaí Pará Festival was encouraged by Governor Helder Barbalho, who has repeatedly endorsed through interviews with the press or at state events that açaí belongs to Pará and that the crop should be increasingly valued.
The state government implements several initiatives to preserve and stimulate the culture, as emphasized by Manoel Rendeiro, director of Fairs and Markets of Sedap and coordinator of the festival. According to him, when presenting the festival project to the governor of Pará, it was immediately approved.
“Today we are already in the third edition. It is an event that not only reaffirms that açaí is ours but also values these men and women who are here and depend on this culture to survive. The public has at their disposal a festival that shows the various ways to consume açaí. But, we couldn’t miss our açaí with fried fish. Until tomorrow (Saturday), the festival has a lot of good things to offer visitors,” guaranteed “Didi do Ver-o-Peso,” as he is more commonly known among açaí beaters.
The opening of the event featured representatives from the Legislative Assembly and the City Council, as well as managers from federations such as Agriculture and Livestock of Pará (Faepa), Industries of Pará (Fiepa), and Sebrae.
Data - The State of Pará is the largest national producer of açaí, with an annual production of around 1.5 million tons of the fruit and a planted and managed area (floodplain) exceeding 220 thousand hectares (IBGE, 2023).
The agricultural census published by IBGE reports the registration of 12,804 properties cultivating this crop in Pará soil.
Regarding processing, at least 10,000 artisanal beaters develop this activity in Pará territory. The agro-industries established in Pará process around 400,000 tons of various açaí products annually, destined for interstate trade and export.
Program - With more than 100 stands distributed throughout the Hangar, the festival offers the opportunity not only for the public to taste açaí produced in various regions of the State but also to learn new recipes made with the fruit.
This Friday, the recipes were shared by businessman and chef Nazareno Alves from Point do Açaí. On Saturday, starting at 7 PM, chef Eliane from Box 49 of Ver-o-Peso will be responsible for preparing recipes live and distributing them to the public.
Lectures on Geographical Indication and Collective Brands and on selective collection are also part of the program. As a cultural attraction of the night, there will be a performance by singer Pinduca. On the first day of the event at Hangar, the show was performed by the “Vingadores do Brega.”
Service: The Açaí Pará Festival ends this Saturday (14) at the Hangar Convention Center, from 2 PM to 10 PM. Admission is free.
