Acai berries, which are served as a creamy puree in bars in prestigious districts throughout the Western world, and in the form of smoothies and juices in supermarkets, are considered extremely healthy and ecological, and a portion is sold for up to 15 euros. However, the German weekly "Spiegel" writes about the dark side of this lucrative business, which the producers prefer to keep silent about, which is the exploitation of children.
German sellers advertise the berries as rich in vitamins and antioxidants, useful not only for preventing heart disease, but also for slowing down the aging process and strengthening the immune system.
An additional argument in favor of the berries was presented by anti-climate change activists who point out that acai berries are not grown in extensive monocultures, but grow in the wild, and that during their production there is practically no or minimal destruction of the rainforest.
According to these parameters, acai berries are an almost perfect product, if one ignores that the most difficult and dangerous work at the very beginning of the production chain is performed by children, the German newspaper points out.
About 1,5 million acai berries are harvested each year, and about 90 percent of them come from the Brazilian state of Pará, where aerial footage taken during the harvest period shows tens of thousands of children climbing up and down the slender palm fronds.
One of them, 11-year-old Mailson Oliva, told the German newspaper that every day at dawn he searches the muddy parts of the rainforest in search of berries in the tops of tall trees.
When he notices a bunch of ripe fruit, he jumps onto the trunk of the tree, clinging with his legs, and climbs with the help of a knife - all the way to the berries, a superfood in rich countries. Then he descends down the trunk, throws the cluster in a pile and moves on to the next tree. His older brother Nando and sisters Đulijana and Đovana do the same.
Mailson was seven years old when his father first sent him to pick berries. He told "Spiegl" that he does not like the harvest and that he is afraid that it will fail. However, the father does not allow him to contradict him. When he is tired, his father sends him to get something to drink, and when his legs hurt, he tells him not to over-oil himself.
Mailson's father, Sou Manoel, receives minimal welfare and uses the acai berry harvest to supplement his income and feed his family.
Mailson told the social worker that he often misses school, and although he is now back in fourth grade, he still can't read.
Given the economic situation facing many families in the region, the fact that many children are too tired to focus on schoolwork comes as a secondary problem.
When asked by "Spiegel" what he thought about it, Mailson's father, who himself started picking boibce at the age of seven, answered somewhat confusedly that "I guess it's normal".
Child labor is officially banned in Brazil, which is why state prosecutors are now investigating the practice of harvesting acai berries. "Picking is not only hard work, but also extremely dangerous," Jomar Souza, who heads the department for combating child labor exploitation in Belem, the capital of Para province, told the German weekly.
He spoke of "serious violations of human rights" and cited cases of children breaking their legs and arms when falling from trees that can be up to 20 meters high. One boy was paralyzed after the fall, and others suffered snake and spider bites, he said.
Mailson told reporters that one of his neighbors was killed when a branch broke under him.
The risk of the tree breaking is lower when children climb instead of adults. Families are willing to do this because the number of baskets sold determines whether they live in ordinary poverty - or in utter misery.
A 2016 study found that around 120 families participate in acai berry picking. When state prosecutors visited the Igarape Miri region in July last year, they learned that some schools had adjusted their vacations to the berry picking season. Social workers believe that many parents send their children to school just so they don't lose social benefits, which are conditional on attending classes.
Souza cited cases of children breaking their legs and arms when falling from trees that can be up to 20 meters high. One boy was paralyzed after the fall, and the others suffered snake and spider bites
In August and September, when the palms are full of fruit, a family can harvest between 20 and 25 baskets of berries a day. It's a race against time, and not just because ripe berries spoil quickly. As long as there are acai berries to pick, the family must earn enough to feed themselves during the difficult months from January to June.
About 80 percent of the residents of the Igarape Miri region earn their living from the acai berry business - as pickers, brokers or as dock workers. The regional capital has Akai Square, Akai Palace Hotel and Akai Pharmacy. In the last few years, as many as eight processing plants have sprung up, where the berries are pureed and frozen for transport. A new wharf with four truck ramps is currently being built along the banks of the Maiauata River.
The proud governor Roberto Pina, who himself does business with acai berries, told "Spiegel" that he did not understand why the prosecutors questioned him about the exploitation of children. According to him, there used to be sawmills and sugarcane plantations in the region, which destroyed the forest. Now, acai berries have brought some prosperity to the area and people can afford things like televisions and refrigerators. "And they want to take that away from us," said Pina.
Souza claims that the biggest challenge is actually the fact that the very beginning of the production chain rests in the shadow economy zone. It's impossible to peek into the rainforests where families like Mailson's work. The boat drivers who then buy the fruit arrive long after the harvest is over; they see nothing suspicious. The same applies to the factories that process the berries after they arrive at the port.
This is why Souza trusts consumers in the West who expect a transparent chain of production in which there is no child labor exploitation. He hopes that people on the other side of the world will understand that the shadow economy, cash-based business cannot be the basis of sustainable structures. Since few pay taxes, there are no funds to invest in schools or universities. Children who have no education practically have no chance to escape the cycle of poverty.
"Spiegel" points out that although the US Department of Labor recently put acai berries on the list of products obtained by exploiting children, German retailers claim that they rely on the standards of the companies they buy from. “We cannot be there during the harvest. We have to rely on them", said the director of the company "Fine Fruits Club" for the German newspaper.
In German bars, a bowl of acai berries costs up to 13 euros. For the amount of berries in that bowl, Mailson's father gets about ten cents. If there is some money left at the end of the month, he gives his son pocket money, which he mostly uses to buy sweets.
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