The Brazil nuts production chain in front of new stringent European import standards : consequences and priorities for private and public actions

Piketty, Marie-Gabrielle; Bayma, M.; Diniz, Janaina; Santos, J.C.

The Brazil nuts production chain in front of new stringent European import standards : consequences and priorities for private and public actions

2010

Piketty, Marie-Gabrielle | Bayma, M. | Diniz, Janaina | Santos, J.C.

Brazil nut is one of the few non timber forest products being significantly explored, commercialized and exported by farmers and extractivist communities of the Brazilian Amazon. Such exploration provides additional income to around 15 000 families, who also manage agricultural systems in their landholding deforested area. Brazil nuts are exported mainly unshelled and shelled, with few exportations of secondary transformed products. The most lucrative Brazilian unshelled nuts export market was Europe until the beginning of the year 2000. However, since then, Europe has changed its imports standards because of the harmful consequences on human health of food products presenting aflatoxins contamination. The news aflatoxins contamination limits are lower than most of Brazilian unshelled nuts exports contamination levels. The Brazilian Research Institute for Agriculture (Embrapa), in cooperation with several institutions, has rapidly developed research programs aimed at identifying the good exploration practices allowing to decrease contamination risks. Such practices have started to be disclosed amongst Brazil nuts extractivist communities. Despite such mobilisation, unshelled Brazil nuts exports to Europe did not start again. (Résumé d'auteur)

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