Sebrae and BNDES Invest R$103 Million in Amazon Cooperatives

Sebrae and the Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES) signed the Coopera+ Amazônia agreement, committing R$103 million to support 50 cooperatives and roughly 6,000 families—about 12,000 people—in the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas, Maranhão, Pará and Rondônia. The funding will be used for consulting services, technical assistance, equipment, and measures to improve market access for products such as babaçu, açaí, cupuaçu and Brazil nut.

Ninety‑seven percent of the investment comes from the Amazon Fund, with the remaining three percent provided by Sebrae. The initiative will launch contracts for the first cycle of 24 selected cooperatives, followed by an immersion workshop in September in Acre to foster experience exchange and establish a cooperative forum for shared decision‑making.

Project coordinator Ana Carolina Westrup emphasized that the program moves from planning to concrete actions, aiming to develop new products, open markets and upgrade productive infrastructure for families who depend on forest resources.