Native to the Amazon and abundant in almost all of the region, a shrubby and fruitful tree is born, known as the hunting tree, araçá-de-igapó, araçá-d'água or sarão, from which the camu-camu fruit originates. or camocamo. A purplish or reddish fruit, from the same family as jabuticaba and with a flavor reminiscent of lemon acidity, camu-camu maintains high international popularity as it is the fruit with the highest Vitamin C content in the world, surpassing it by up to 20 sometimes fruits like acerola, orange and lemon, which are rich in this vitamin.
New in the national market and fever abroad.
The fruit with still little explored potential in Brazil, but which abroad is already famous for its nutritive properties to strengthen immunity and fight premature aging, has enormous versatility. Currently, camu-camu is marketed in many ways, from its use for pharmaceutical industries in the manufacture of vitamin capsules, through consumption in the form of ice cream, popsicles, gelattos, jellies, liquor and desserts, and even commercialization in soluble powder , whose consumption, according to surveys by INPA (National Institute for Research in the Amazon), reduces the levels of fat and sugar in the blood. Those responsible for the research, Jaime Paiva Aguiar and Francisca das Chagas do Amaral, commented that the fruit is “the gold of the Amazon, but it is the European who knows it. Typical of floodplains, but the population here does not consume it”, highlighting the potential for exporting the product.
The fruit with the highest Vitamin C content in the world
Its nutritional properties and the fame of its high Vitamin C content have been known since the 1960s, its popularity grew over the years until the fruit was finally exported, initially to countries like Japan, and is currently gaining more space for several continents. INPA researcher Lucia Yuyama comments: "Camu-camu has a high potential to be explored as a functional food both in the Amazon and in large markets such as Asia, Europe and the United States".
Exotic fruit market generates profit for producers.
According to research by SEBRAE (Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses), exotic fruits have an added value that is higher than those traditionally found in greater abundance, which reflects in the consumption power to acquire these products and, in recent years, fruit consumption has managed to keep growing, which demonstrates the positivism of this market. For national marketing, keeping the production of exotic fruits in the same place as the final consumer is a good opportunity for producers interested in this niche.
Brazilian product with popularity in Asia, Europe and the USA.
The international popularity of camu-camu allows this product to be exported in different forms (pulps, popsicles, powder, etc.), an opportunity that can be much more explored in Brazil, this market brings vast opportunities for insertion for producers. Currently, Peru is one of the few producers that exports the fruit, reaching mainly the Japanese and European markets. For researchers from EMBRAPA (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation - Ministry of Agriculture), Walnice Nascimento and José Urano de Carvalho, co-authors of the book “A Cultura do Camu-Camu”: “Camu-camu has great potential that still needs be explored in Brazil”.
The importance of the performance of an international consultancy
With positive growth expectations, both for the domestic and foreign markets, camu-camu brings many opportunities for Brazilian producers. The export option is a great investment to expand business and find new opportunities. The process of internationalizing a production requires a lot of research and specialized study, with bureaucratic and tariff processes, but with quality monitoring, carried out by international consultants who can guide this path, it brings profits to those who dream of exporting and taking their product beyond its borders.
By Marina Leite on 10/20/2020
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