Brasília – Brazil should invest R$ 2.3 million (US$ 1.2 million) by the end of the year to promote exports of the country’s dairy. The target is to sell US$ 82 million in dairy and its products abroad. For this, the Ministry of Agrarian Development, the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) and the Organization of Brazilian Cooperatives (OCB) signed an agreement on Thursday (21).
Since 2008, the country stopped exporting dairy and became a milk importer. The international crisis caused a reduction in purchases and growth in protectionism in the global market. The government expectations are, in one decade, for dairy, cheese, butter and dairy product exports to reach R$ 1 billion (US$ 500 million), exceeding the 2008 values.
The government should make available R$ 1.9 million (US$ 1 million) and the OCB should turn R$ 372,000 (US$ 186,000). After two years, new values should be invested. Through the agreement, credit should be granted to producers for acquisition of 3,600 items, like tractors, milking machinery and coolers.
The OCB should be responsible for stimulating acceptance by the sector, which is very widespread, and the Apex should promote new products abroad. Importers, journalists and opinion makers should be invited to visit Brazil to learn about the sector work and to do business. The main target markets are Angola, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, China, Egypt, the Emirates, Iraq and Venezuela.
*Translated by Mark Ament
