Condom factory to help the Amazon

This week the Brazilian government opened a £10m condom factory in the midst of the Amazon jungle with claims that the factory will be able to act as a means that will allow for Amazonian locals to benefit from the rainforest, without demolishing it.

Government ministers met in the town of Xapuri, in the Amazonian state of Acre, to open the condom factory.

The factory will produce approximately 100 million condoms per year by using latex that will be manually extracted from the surrounding forests in the area.

Officials have stated that the factory will hopefully allow for local rubber tappers to profit from the rainforest without threatening the forest’s sustainability.

Brazil’s environmental minister, Marina Silva, has claimed that the Natex condom will aid the creation of a new method of production that would result in the rainforest being left in its current state.

On another note it is also hoped that the factory in addition to its environmental benefits, will help to reduce Brazil’s reliance on condoms imported from Asia.

The factory fits in with Brazil’s anti-Aids crusade. Last year the country distributed 120 million free condoms, a move that has helped to cut infection rates in Brazil.

The health ministry has stated that over 500 local families are set to benefit from the condom, with combined earnings of R$2.2m (£657,000) per annum.

Hugo Paz de Souza has claimed that the “made in Amazonia” condom (as it has become known) will result in his income being doubled to roughly £200 each month.

He told local paper, Pagina 20, that as a result he has been able to provide a better way of life for his family along with purchasing a few cows.

Vice president of the local agricultural association has stated that the condom will allow for people to “make love with security” and enable people to plan a better future.