After having achieved the goal stated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the beginning of his mandate of US$ 100 billion in annual exports, the Brazilian government announced March 28 that the next target is to export US$ 112 billion by the end of this year and US$ 120 billion in 2006.
The new target was announced after a meeting in the Planalto Palace between President Lula, the Ministers of Development, Luiz Fernando Furlan, Finance, Antônio Palocci, and Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, and the principal Brazilian exporters.
In order to attain these new goals, Furlan affirmed that the government will emphasize the implementation of industrial policy, investment in infrastructure, and the formulation of proposals to relieve the debt burden on investments.
These were all demands presented by the 40 exporters present at the meeting. “The situation demonstrates that the tendency is for Brazilian exports to grow even more in coming years,” Furlan declared.
According to the Minister, the forecasts are positive for various segments of the economy. The tendency is for growth in exports of basic commodities (mineral and agricultural goods) and electro-electronic products, for example, as a result of past investments made by the entrepreneurs. The meat sector is also promising, Furlan observed.
The entrepreneurs urged the government to open new markets and pay greater attention to sanitary questions, in order to uphold standards of quality
Translation: David Silberstein
Agência Brasil