Growing guava with a seal of origin and certification for export became the main business of farmers Inês Sasaki and Marilda Leiko Kawasaki on their return to Brazil, after spending more than ten years working in industries in Japan, their parents' homeland, in order to save money.
The two invested in sites in Carlópolis, a city in Paraná that holds the title of national capital of guava and has the quality of its fruit recognized in the domestic and foreign markets.
Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro produce 80% of the Brazilian guava, but Carlópolis became a production and export hub as a result of a 2014 initiative by Sebrae to train local farmers and neighboring Ribeirão Claro to run after the GI (Geographical Indication).
While fruits in general had a drop of 11% in revenue and 15% in volume, according to data from the Agrostat System of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, shipments of Brazilian guava more than doubled in two years, with revenue of US$ 1, 18 million in 2022.
Source: abrafrutas.org