The president of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), Juan Quirós, made today, during the 26th National Foreign Trade Meeting (Enaex), in the city of Rio de Janeiro, southeastern Brazil, an analysis of the agency’s actions over the last four years.
According to him, investment totaled over US$ 553 million in promotion projects and commercial intelligence with actions in over 60 countries.
Now the agency has a new strategic plan for the period from 2007 to 2010. The planning is based on five pillars: commercial intelligence, i.e., the search for information about markets and the transfer of this information to companies, closer contact with department stores and supermarkets to directly attract end users, the increase of offer of items for export, also including services, the inauguration of more distribution centers on the foreign market, and the attraction of investment to the country.
"It is very important to consolidate all actions that we developed during our mandate," stated Quirós. According to him, the 67 sectors currently supported by the Apex represent 68% of Brazilian exports.
A total of 8,500 companies were helped in the 589 projects developed by the organization over the last four years with the participation of 200 partner organizations. Among the actions executed were participation in 987 sector fairs and promotion of 250 trade missions.
Regarding the product distribution centers, currently in Miami, Portugal, Frankfurt, Warsaw and Dubai, Quirós stated that they are the only instruments for internationalization currently available to small and medium companies.
"Nowadays more than 500 companies operate in these centers," he said. For 2007, the Apex is planning the inauguration of another three in Panama, South Africa and China.
In the area of investment, Quirós stated that the agency’s intention for the coming years is to attract foreign funds to small and medium companies. The Apex, according to Quirós, may reach 2010 as one of the five best export and investment promotion agencies in the world.
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