São Paulo – The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) will return to be linked to the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services (MDIC). The department’s activities had been relocated to the Ministry of Economy during the previous government. The MDIC has now been recreated in one of the changes promoted by the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who inaugurated his third term this week.
The announcement about ApexBrasil was made during the new Minister of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services (MDIC) induction this Wednesday (4). The vice-president of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin (pictured above), took office and signaled transformations in the country’s position on the international scene. “The Ministry will have ApexBrasil under its leadership, and I would like to welcome here the Governor and Senator of the Republic, Professor Jorge Viana, who will be in charge of this responsibility,” said the minister at the event.
Foreign trade
In addition to the nomination of Jorge Viana as the institution’s new president, ApexBrasil could also have as a new goal the repositioning of Brazil in the international framework. “We will give trade promotion an even more entrepreneurial bias in close ties with the foreign trade policy. We will work with Apex to reposition Brazil’s image worldwide. In recent years, with the industry having decreased its importance in the economy, Brazil has lost economic diversity, which was reflected in the precariousness of the Brazilian export basket,” declared Alckmin.
For the minister, sectors such as manufacturing, where Brazil’s share in global sales is just 0.5%, could be more appreciated. “Trade in manufacturing is almost seven times higher in revenue than agricultural goods, so the challenge to increase Brazil’s importance in global trade involves giving greater dynamics to the manufacturing sector,” he pointed out.
The minister estimates the international outlook this year could have lower prices for Brazilian exports compared to 2022. The executive made the same assessment concerning imports to the country. “We will seek to open new markets and increase the export basis with the inclusion of smaller companies,” he said. Other demands the minister and vice president pointed out were adding value to the export basket, boosting the country’s image as an agro-environmental producer and exporter of goods such as airplanes and information technology services.
To enable technological development and innovation in the country, Alckmin emphasized investment in domestic industry and reducing bureaucracy. “Industrialization is essential for sustainable development to be resumed,” he said. The new minister’s inauguration speech was broadcast live on Youtube.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
