Agreement with the European Union can facilitate export of honey from western Paraná

The trade agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Union, which provides for the protection and purchase exclusively of 36 Brazilian products with indication of origin or appellation must accelerate the release process for the export of honey produced in the west of Paraná. The expectation is Coofamel, a cooperative founded in 2006 and currently has 279 associates in more than 50 municipalities in the west and southwest of the state located in the Paraná River watershed 3. "The agreement between MERCOSUR and the European Union comes to make the ways of marketing with other countries easier. The government's goal is to reduce bureaucracy so that small and medium-sized agroindustries can market their products outside the country as well, "observes the veterinarian of the cooperative, Fernanda Boschetti. Coofamel has the indication of provenance for the honey of Apis mellifera, popularly known as the African Bee with Sting, and the Tetragonisca Angustula, which produces the so-called Jataí Bee Honey, since September 2017. The seal certides where the product was produced and its own characteristics. "With the achievement of the geographical indication it was possible to protect the brand ' Oeste do Paraná '. This recognition and appreciation of the region added value to the honey produced here, "he points out. The more than 200 tonnes of in Natura honey and derivatives such as propolis, wax and pollen are sold throughout the country and guarantee an annual turnover of about R $2.5 million to the cooperative. One of the attractive for export is demand. According to the Ministry of Economy, Industry, foreign trade and services, from January to July Paraná exported 3800 tons of honey and since 2012 have been taking turns with Rio Grande do Sul at the top of the list of largest honey producers in the country. Despite the good demand for Brazilian honey, for the president of Coofamel, Wagner Graziero, in the last two years the domestic market has been more advantageous because of the strong competition of Chinese, Uruguayan and Argentine products, which have gained space Mainly in the United States and Canada. He estimates that the investments that have been made for the adequacy of sales associates in the foreign market should not give immediate return, but in three to four years. "Anyway, all of this is important to us, it gives a very good visibility to the region and a much better market perspective for the cooperative in and out of the country," he says. Differential The characteristics of the honey of Western Paraná-different from the other types by flavor and color, clearer-are the result of the area where the bees live with the vegetation and the typical climate of the reserves on the shores of Itaipu Lake, the National Park of Ilha Grande and the Parqu and Iguaçu National. "We know that our honey is different, but there is no way to prove it just by talking to people, we need a legal support, and that is the role of the seal of provenance and so we went to pick it up," recalls the producer Antônio Augusto Borges, from Terra Roxa. The agreement The agreement recognizes the geographical indication of typical Brazilian products and ensures that they are not reproduced in other countries, being protected from imitations. The same will be worth for European products also with a seal of provenance, such as wine from the Champagne region in France, and for products from neighboring countries, such as the Chilean grape. In Paraná, there are also on this list the café of the North Pioneer, the guava of Carlópolis, the grape of Marialva, the café of the region of Pinhal and the yerba mate of São Mateus do Sul. According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Supply (MAPA), for the pact to enter into force the text of the agreement must undergo revisions and must be approved by all 32 countries involved. In all, 220 Mercosur products and 355 European geographical indications will be protected.