Brazil: Opening of the licensing notice for the commercialization of Embrapa's açaí varieties

The public notice for licensing açaí seed and seedling producers who are interested in marketing the cultivars BRS Pará and BRS Pai d’Égua, varieties of açaizeiro for terra firme developed by Embrapa, is now open. The cultivars are more productive and recommended for upland areas and are already present in almost 50 thousand hectares, mainly in the states of Pará, Amazonas, Maranhão and Bahia, with the potential to expand cultivation and offer more fruit to national and international markets. The interest of the market is one of the main factors for the expansion of açaí cultivation on dry land. Embrapa estimates that the annual growth in market demand for this fruit is around 15%, while production growth is 5% per year. “So there is an important gap for this growth and production, especially in the off-season, is a very interesting opportunity for farmers”, says researcher João Tomé de Farias Neto, from Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, the Unit that developed the two varieties. The ...