Agência Brasil
Rio – The oil and natural gas sector is also on the agenda for discussions at Rio Trade Week, a seminar lasting until today (09), in Rio de Janeiro, preceding the 11th United Nations Conference on Trade and Developmen (Unctad), which will take place next week in São Paulo.
According to Maria das Graças Silva Foster, secretary of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Renewable Combustibles of the Ministry of Mines and Energy, US$ 60 billion will be directly invested in development of petroleum and natural gas industries.
Foster believes the government needs to develop reserves. She said that in 2003 the country added 800 million barrels of petroleum to its reserves. "We want to increase production to 1.2 billion barrels in our reserves by 2010/2011," she stated.
The secretary said it is necessary to demonstrate assurance to investors who opt for Brazil. "We have quite a vast horizon and areas with great discovery potential," she concluded. Her speech amended the opinion of speakers before her, in that small and medium sized businesses in the sector also need to insert themselves in international trade.
To ambassador Rubens Ricupero, general secretary of the Unctad, small and medium businesses have several possibilities in the market, including in the oil industry. "Each time there is petroleum production, many jobs are created in other sectors, even in housing construction for workers," he comments.
Ricupero believes small businesses can be united in a sort of association to organize their relationship with large oil exploration companies.
