The Brazilian minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, said on Wednesday, November 9, in Brasilia, capital of Brazil, that the country will reach US$ 100 billion in exports already in 2005.
That would be one year before the deadline established by president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
“For such, we should only hold on to what has already been conquered,” said Furlan, according to his spokesman.
Between January and October 2004, Brazilian exports have already reached US$ 79.1 billion. The government forecasts that up to the end of the year the sum should reach US$ 94 billion.
The Minister pointed out, however, that the country still has a limited image in foreign countries, still very attached to samba, coffee and to personalities such as former football player Pelé.
According to him, it is necessary to show that Brazil has state of the art technology in advanced areas such as biotechnology, banking automation and software.
Brazil has in fact been making an effort to increase the presence of products with greater added value in the export basket.
Today basic products generate 30.8% of country foreign trade revenues, and industrialized products, 68.5%.
Last October, for example, aircraft exports rose 82.6% over the same period last year, auto sales rose 31.7% and communications equipment 31.5%.
In reality, the country has been breaking export records and increasing foreign trade revenues year after year.
In the 1950’s, country foreign sales were under US$ 1.6 billion. This figure rose to US$ 2 billion in the 1960’s, to US$ 15 billion in the 1970’s and, since the end of the 1980’s, they have not been lower than US$ 30 billion.
In recent years, however, export figures have been surprising. Country foreign trade has not reduced at all since 2000. In that year they totalled US$ 55.1 billion, rising to US$ 73 billion last year.
Apart from favorable exchange rates, businessmen, and the federal and state government made an effort to maintain foreign trade at a high.
Last year, president Lula visited five Arab countries and from then to date sales to the region have not stopped growing. Between January and October this year, Brazilian exports to the Arab countries have risen 51%.
ANBA ”“ Brazil-Arab News Agency