Crochet Curupira, Jambu Flower, and Forest Chocolate Delight at Emater Fair at COP30
There are 16 women and one man from five municipalities: Belém, Ananindeua, Augusto Corrêa, Barcarena, and Santa Bárbara
The curupira, mascot of the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Emergencies (COP30), an event taking place in Belém, is becoming a citizen of the world through the hands of artisans served by the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of Pará (Emater). This product, highlighted at the family farming fair promoted by the state agency at Agrizone, the headquarters of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), in the Marco neighborhood, has already been purchased by visitors from Germany, South Korea, and Switzerland, among other countries.
“It’s an impressive outcome. We sold almost everything right away, and now we are making them on demand. Foreigners are amazed, and rightly so: we dedicate history, art, and tradition, with the genuine signature of the Amazon,” reports artisan Alessandra Ataíde, 53, a resident of the Cidade Nova neighborhood in Ananindeua, in the Metropolitan Region. Small (15 cm) or large (28 cm) and colorful, with prices ranging from R$ 60 to R$ 160, the dolls serve as souvenirs, decorative items, or toys.
On the same shelf and also in crochet, the “açaizito” entertains with a smiling açaí seed: “I have been served by Emater for five years and can say, with all confidence and gratitude, that Emater helps me realize dreams: transforming inspiration and ideas into tangible art and participating in many events, like COP, with international projection,” she says.
Agriculturist Ana Paula Soares, 47, also from Ananindeua, but from the Águas Lindas neighborhood, estimates that her sales at COP have totaled over 200% profit. The bestsellers are pickled jambu flower and jambu jelly: “With Emater, we took a business management course, digital marketing; I learned how to price and contextualize my work. I feel part of the sustainable development chain because the jambu without pesticides comes from family farming, I recycle the jars that many customers return, and I help strengthen the Amazonian food culture,” she celebrates.
Fair - The Emater Fair operates from 10 am to 6 pm, with free access, in the “Food, Tradition, and Culture” installation. The booth is a partnership with the Amazon Environmental Research Institute (Ipam) and the State Secretariat for Family Agriculture (Seaf).
There are 16 women and one man from five municipalities: Belém, Ananindeua, Augusto Corrêa, Barcarena, and Santa Bárbara.
According to veterinarian Karine Sarraf, deputy supervisor of the regional office of the Islands, of Emater, the prices are up to 40% cheaper compared to conventional markets.
“There are jellies, bio-jewelry, ceramics, artisanal chocolates. A universe of special products, with added value and inherent meaning to agroforestry systems, bioeconomy, solidarity economy, preservation of nature and traditions,” points out the Public Health specialist, with a focus on Agribusiness Management, emphasizing Family Agriculture and a master's degree in Sanitary Inspection.
Other sustainable consumption opportunities available there include the famous “Bragança flour,” with certification and GI (geographical indication of origin), and gourmet chocolate from Transamazônica.
The brand “Cacau Xingu,” for example, from the municipality of Brasil Novo, offers differentiated bars, with “terroir” (a set of characteristics and environmental and cultural factors) from the Amazon Rainforest and Xingu, resulting in mixtures with babaçu, coffee, Brazil nuts, cumaru, and the unusual puxuri - an aromatic seed considered the nutmeg of the Amazon.
“Emater has been in our lives, in our family business, for over 40 years. It’s a shared existence. It has always provided us assistance. We are the first brand from our region to obtain the National Family Agriculture Seal [Senaf], in 2024, from the MDA [Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture], and the first, still, to obtain the plant product inspection seal from Adepará [Agency for Agricultural Defense of the State of Pará],” emphasizes entrepreneur Jiovana Lunelli, 55.
Service: Emater Fair at COP30
Agrizone - Embrapa headquarters (Trav. Enéas Pinheiro s/n, Marco, Belém).
Space “Food, Tradition, and Culture”
Free and open access
Credit and debit cards, cash, and pix accepted
Hours: 10 am to 6 pm
Until November 21
Text: Aline Miranda (Emater)
