Australia.to • Bolivia: Amazon Nuts at Exploitative Prices
LA PAZ, Oct 8 (IPS) - Bolivia is the world's leading exporter of the shelled Brazil nut, a nutritious food source that grows abundantly in the country's Amazon rainforest region. But in this tropical paradise, many of the nut-gatherers live in hellish conditions. Bolivians simply call the Bertholletia excelsa a ”castaña” (a catch-all name for ”nut”). Globally, it is known as the Brazil nut or the Pará nut, while in South America it has many other local and traditional names. It is a food rich in selenium and other minerals, as well as proteins, carbohydrates and oils, and represents 30 percent of...
