Os canais de comercialização do pinhão e seus agentes, em São Francisco de Paula, Rs

Abstract

The Brazilian-pine nut is an important source of food and income for rural communities that reside in the region of Araucaria Forest. This study aimed to understand the marketing aspects of the Brazilian-pine nut in São Francisco de Paula, RS. Thus, we carried out structured and semi-structured interviews with 52 agents related to the marketing of this nut. It was identified the existence of short chains and long chains. We observed that the Brazilian-pine nut in natura is sold in both types of chains. However, products derived from Brazilian-pine nut are sold exclusively in short chains. Also, when the nut is sold in short chains, the price of the producer is higher. It was further observed that, in the region studied, long supply chains of the nut are not structured and the processed product is mainly marketed by farmers who have access to fairs. We also observed that there is no institutional marketing of the Brazilian-pine nut. This situation was related to informal trade relations, the lack of institutions to assist the organizational environment of food supply chains of the Brazilian-pine nut and to the institutional environment that discourages the collecte activity.