Extraction of non-timber forest products (NTFPs) can provide important income for the inhabitants of tropical developing countries. The present research focuses on NTFP extraction in the Amazon estuary by evaluating the economics of managing açaí (Euterpe oleracea), a predominant palm species of the Amazon floodplains. The productivity, revenues and costs associated with traditional household management of açaí were examined in secondary forests and in homegardens. The present value of the net revenue (NPV) of lands managed for fruit and palm-heart was calculated at different distances from the central market of Belém, Pará, Brazil. Intensity of açaí management was dependent on distance from the market and household resources, ranging from simple collection in natural forest to intense cultivation. All calculations of revenues accounted for variation in prices due to seasonality of production. Açaí ws found to be a highly valuable production system even at high rates of interest. At a 15% interest rate, the net present values were US$ 1337–2693 ha−1 in managed secondary forests and US$ 4266–6930 ha−1 in homegardens.
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Muñiz-Miret et al. (1996) studied this question.