Amazon Agro Sunday, July 19, 2026 The production of Amazon nuts has guaranteed income for dozens of families and strengthened the sustainable economy in the municipality of Amaturá, in the extreme west of Amazonas. The activity brings together extraction, processing and commercialization of the product, which is sold within and outside the state and has become one of the main sources of livelihood for the local population. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Amazonas was the largest producer of Amazon nuts in the country in 2024. In Amaturá, producers have been working for around 20 years on processing the almonds, adding value to the product before sale. Collection begins in forest areas and on sites in the municipality, where there are chestnut trees, trees that can reach up to 60 meters in height. Production varies depending on the age of the tree and climatic conditions, reaching around 400 hedgehogs per harvest. ? Join the g1 AM channel on WhatsApp Harvesting generally takes place between January and July. Chestnut trees collect hedgehogs that naturally fall to the ground. Each can contain up to 20 nuts. The fruits are transported in artisanal baskets to the processing site. For chestnut grower Raimundo Ribeiro, the activity represents an important source of income for the family. "I've been a chestnut grower for five years and, during the harvest period, we gather 200 chestnut urchins a day," he said. After collection, the seeds are removed from the hedgehogs and taken to the Association of Producers and Beneficiaries of Amaturá Nuts (Aprocam). Currently, the association has around 60 employees and receives support from riverside families who participate in the collection and sale of production. "Chestnuts are our daily bread. We are here to value our production", stated Aprocam associate, Dulcinéia Andrade Franco. Chestnut production has benefited residents of Amaturá. Roney Elias/Rede Amazônica Processing adds value to the product In the agribusiness, chestnuts go through a drying process to reduce moisture and prevent the emergence of fungi. They then go to sorting, where they are broken, selected and subjected to heat treatment in an autoclave. After being packaged, the nuts are distributed for sale inside and outside the Amazon. According to the president of Aprocam, Aurélio Santos Lucas, nut extraction combines income generation and environmental preservation. "We work with this product because we don't need to deforest to produce it. It's a completely biodegradable activity," he said. For the director of the Alto Solimões Scientific and Technological Park, at the Federal University of Amazonas (Ufam), Tarciana de Carvalho Coutinho, the Amaturá experience shows how technology and processing can increase the value of forest products without compromising environmental conservation. According to the researcher, the model can be adopted by other municipalities in the interior of Amazonas, respecting the characteristics and potential of each region. “This model can be replicated in other municipalities. We need to move from a traditional process to a model in which technology generates value for the products we have", he stated.