São Paulo – Brazil’s Vice President Geraldo Alckmin attended the opening of the APAS Show supermarket trade fair on Monday (18) at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo, listing for an audience of supermarket industry representatives a series of measures recently adopted that favor consumption in Brazil. APAS Show opened with expectations of generating around BRL 17 billion (USD 3 billion) in business deals and welcoming 150,000 Brazilian visitors. The event features 900 exhibitors from 24 countries.
In his speech, Alckmin recalled a recent measure authorizing the installation of pharmacies and drugstores inside supermarket sales areas; the Desenrola debt relief program, which allows Brazilians to renegotiate overdue credit card, overdraft and personal loan debts; and the entry into force of the income tax exemption for those earning up to BRL 5,000 (USD 1,000), with a gradual reduction for those earning up to BRL 7,350 (USD 1,450).
“This will also help consumption and encourage consumer spending. In fact, comparing January to March this year with January to March last year, we saw a 2.9% increase in consumption,” the vice president said regarding the income tax measure.
Alckmin also addressed the impacts of the war in the Middle East on fuel, fertilizers and food prices, and in this context, mentioned the federal government’s removal of taxes on diesel and plans for Brazil to stop relying on imported diesel. “In six years, we will be self-sufficient. We will no longer import diesel because the refineries are being completed,” he said. The fuel is used in trucks transporting goods and in agricultural machinery, affecting food prices.
Alckmin’s remarks closed the opening ceremony, which was marked by speeches expressing concern over the impact on retail of ending Brazil’s 6×1 work schedule, under which employees work six consecutive days followed by one day off. Brazil is currently debating new labor legislation requiring a transition to a 5×2 workweek model—five working days and two days off—along with a reduction in the workweek from the current 44 hours to 40 hours. “We support the 5×2 schedule, but not the reduction in working hours,” said João Galassi, president of the Brazilian Association of Supermarkets (Abras), during the ceremony.
Also attending the opening of APAS Show, which marks its 40th anniversary this year, were São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas, São Paulo Mayor Ricardo Nunes, Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services Márcio Elias Rosa, among other authorities. Representatives from several countries exhibiting at the trade fair were also present in the audience. The Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), which organized two large pavilions at the event featuring companies from Arab countries, attended the opening ceremony through its financial vice president, Mohamad Abdouni Neto.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
