{"id":261081,"date":"2019-10-31T11:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T14:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=261081"},"modified":"2019-10-30T20:04:04","modified_gmt":"2019-10-30T23:04:04","slug":"from-north-to-south-regions-certifying-origin-of-products","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/from-north-to-south-regions-certifying-origin-of-products\/","title":{"rendered":"From North to South, regions certifying origin of products"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 In four places of the country, new products joined the 2019 Map of Geographic Indications in Brazil<\/a>. The document is made by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) and the National Institute of Intellectual Property (INPI) and features 62 certified regions until May 2019. The last productions to be recognized were banana from Corup\u00e1, Santa Catarina, cacao from Tom\u00e9-A\u00e7u, Par\u00e1, jabuticaba derivatives from Sabar\u00e1, Minas Gerais, and green coffee from West Bahia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Europe, GI means protection. For us in Brazil, it represents added value and independence. When you go to the communities, whether they are composed of artisans or farmers, the added value doesn\u2019t fall in the hands of the producers but the brokers\u2019. Our challenge is introducing ourselves directly to the consumer market. We specialize so that we can walk on our own,\u201d Corup\u00e1 Association of Banana Producers (Asbanco<\/a>) executive director Eliane Cristina Muller pointed out.<\/p>\n

The Geographical Indication (GI) acts as a certifier sign and is divided in two categories in Brazil: Indication of Origin (IP) and Appellation of Origin (DO). The IP recognizes a place for its production, manufacture or extraction of certain product or service, while DO identifies the product or service affected by climate or environment factors in such a way that they cannot be reproduced elsewhere.<\/p>\n

If European regions like Champagne, where the legitimate champagne sparkling wines are produced, are already recognized, in Brazil the origin of products has just recently become the topic of discussion. The Normative Instruction that regulates geographical indications, for example, is from 2013.<\/p>\n

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The altitude of Corup\u00e1 region reaches 1,6000 meters<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Asbanco manages the only new region to get the Appellation of Origin. The banana from Corup\u00e1 (SC) earned the sign in August 2018, after 14 years working for that. The banana grown there is known as Brazil\u2019s sweetest one. To earn this reputation, climate aspects played in favor of the producers. Low temperatures \u2013 which give the skins a pale-yellow tone, making them less appealing for the consumer \u2013 are also part of a slower process development that heightens sweetness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had always struggled with low prices. In 2006, we met a researcher that said that we were pitching the banana the wrong way. We had the sweetest one! The winter slowdowns the plant\u2019s metabolism. The hand takes three to four months to get full. The longer it remains at the plant, the higher its starch concentration and therefore the higher its conversion into natural sugars,\u201d Muller explained.<\/p>\n

The association brings together 980 farmer families. And the producers have seen the local chain growth already. \u201cIt\u2019s a super product. We can make this fruit into biomass, banana chips, banana with chocolate, banana ketchup, we\u2019ve developed an agribusiness. The DO project is not just about financial gain for us. It makes the community proud, so they can creatively develop more products alluding the fruit,\u201d she points out referring to creations such as those of the artisans that make everything from pillows to bio-jewelry with the banana tree fiber.<\/p>\n

She believes the GI process develops the whole territory. \u201cBeing a producer in Brazil\u2019s sweetest banana producer region is a source of pride,\u201d Muller finishes.<\/p>\n

Motivation was also what the small jabuticaba derivatives producers gained in Sabar\u00e1 (MG). Out of their 50 products, the Indication of Origin sign was given to the five top-selling ones: sauces, jellies, jams (sweet with skin), jabuticaba liquor, and candied peels.<\/p>\n

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The city of Sabar\u00e1 has hold the Jabuticaba Fest for 33 years<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Association of Producers of Jabuticaba Derivatives of Sabar\u00e1 (Asprodejas) is 11 years old and took a year gathering documents to get the IP. \u201cSabar\u00e1 is known as the city of jabuticaba, which is native from the Atlantic Forest. It\u2019s a Brazilian plant and, out of the 47 types of jaboticaba, there\u2019s a species with our name. Sabar\u00e1 has one of the sweetest fruits,\u201d Aspodrejas president Meire Ribeiro explained.<\/p>\n

The dossier gathered by them brings details on the importance of the fruit for the local economy. For 33 years, the city has lived on derivatives and even holds a Jabuticaba Festival. The association includes 27 producers, 99% of which are women. \u201cWe believe that getting the label adds a great value, not just in prices but credibility. The prices don\u2019t necessarily rise but the sales do,\u201d Ribeiro ponders.<\/p>\n

Aspodrejas only produces an average of 60 tonnes of the fruit per year. The idea is that the IP be used not just by its members. \u201cWe\u2019re starting to regularize small producers. We don\u2019t export yet. We believe this label will open many doors. The European market highly values products with it,\u201d Ribeiro finished.<\/p>\n

And the first geographical indication in Par\u00e1 was for cacao. Last January, an IP was approved for Tom\u00e9-A\u00e7u\u2019s cacao. \u201cIt took around seven years of strugle, twists and forths, repairs, amendments, removals, researches, declarations, basis, so that we achieved this, which involved partners from several organizations in our municipality,\u201d Tom\u00e9-A\u00e7u Agriculture Promotion<\/a> and Culture Association president Silvio Kazuhiro Shibata said.<\/p>\n

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The IP for Tom\u00e9-A\u00e7u\u2019s cacao is the first geographical indication that the state of Par\u00e1 achieves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The cacao cultivation was already in place when the Japanese arrived at the municipality of Tom\u00e9-A\u00e7u 90 years ago. The immigrants started cropping but struggled to adapt to the culture. Twenty years later, after turning to crops such as black pepper, the local community turned back to cacao cultivation, now supported by specialists and new planting techniques.<\/p>\n

More than that, they mirrored traditional local communities. \u201cThe Issei (first Japanese immigrants) studied their Ribeirinho neighbors and realized that they could produce many fruits over a small area and make a living of that. Then they started encouraging the cultivation of several fruit species and forest essences such as cacao, a\u00e7ai, yellow mombin, bacaba, andiroba,\u201d Shibata pointed out mentioning the guidance by Japanese researcher Masaki Yamada on intercropping, which gave rise to the Agroforestry Systems of Tom\u00e9-A\u00e7u.<\/p>\n

Now, the municipality plants several crops from pepper to cacao and even fruits, as well as producing juices and seeds, in addition to cupua\u00e7u and cacao butter. The work came to the attention of Meiji Holdings, a chocolate company from Japan, which started buying cacao and supporting researches by organizations such as Brazilian Agricultural Research Association (Embrapa). \u201cThis partnership drove us to get our IG so that we can foster a high-quality cacao production, increase our gain on almonds and assure our client that it\u2019s a higher-quality product,\u201d said Shibata. The association now works on guides to good cacao production practices to share the knowledge with local producers.<\/p>\n

The experience also promises good results in the Northeast Region, where an IP was granted to the green coffee of Western Bahia. \u201cWe\u2019re starting our geographical indication. We\u2019re excited. There\u2019s the economic part but it\u2019s also a way to create a more sustainable relation to others. We expect a good relationship with the entire chain,\u201d Western Bahia Association of Coffee Farmers. (Abacaf\u00e9<\/a>) Jos\u00e9 de Oliveira do Esp\u00edrito Santo pondered.<\/p>\n

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Abacaf\u00e9 president explains that the label also enhances work relations in the field<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Abacaf\u00e9 is in Lu\u00eds Eduardo Magalh\u00e3es (BA). Its 20 members produce an Arabica species and have an average of 500 hectares each, which is considered a large area for the culture.<\/p>\n

And what makes this coffee different? \u201cIt\u2019s related to our region, which grants some traits to the drink. We hired a team of testers that assisted us in the technical report to get the IP,\u201d the president pointed out about traits such as a slight sweetness, a pleasantly fruity flavor, an extended residual flavor and a good-density floral aroma.<\/p>\n

Having tried to obtain the IP for six years, the association now celebrates the confirmation that it received the label last September. \u201cThis will help our market liquidity. It helps on sales, add some value. Customers don\u2019t want whatever coffee anymore. They want to know the context, if it\u2019s legal and follows labor laws. To receive the label, the farmer must go through an inspection by the association,\u201d explained Oliveira.<\/p>\n

On added value, Oliveira believes that the label will yield BRL 10-15 (USD 3-4) per coffee bag. \u201cThat means around BRL 700 (USD 175) per hectare. And the consumer prefers to buy a labeled coffee, we have a preference on sales. And we negotiate that,\u201d said the president.<\/p>\n

Besides coming out ahead when negotiating, Oliveira believes that the structure that comes with the label raises the technologic, administrative and economic level. \u201cWe\u2019ve been at this for six years. And we see that the work relations are better, the level of education is higher. The use of pesticides is more closely monitored. Many things improve. The number of animals in the farm increase. Everything is affected,\u201d believes the president of the association, which already exports to countries like Germany, United States, Japan, and Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n

Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n

Carlos Borges\/Sebrae News Agency<\/div>\n
Press Release<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Four Brazilian products earned geographic indications this year. The membership comes with a label that certifies the production, adding value and generating independence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2324,"featured_media":261030,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,92],"tags":[38513,12299,37075,10669],"class_list":{"0":"post-261081","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-business-opportunities","8":"category-special-reports","9":"tag-banana-3-en","10":"tag-banana-2","11":"tag-cacau-en","12":"tag-cafe-ar"},"wps_subtitle":"Four Brazilian products earned geographic indications this year. The membership comes with a label that certifies the production, adding value and generating independence.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261081","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=261081"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/261081\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/261030"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=261081"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=261081"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=261081"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}