Geovana Pagel
São Paulo – "We need investments in industrial modernization and technological innovation to guarantee our long-awaited sustainable economic growth," said Luiz Fernando Furlan, Brazilian Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
The minister spoke about industrial, technological and foreign trade policy for sustainable development, during the first talk at Space Brazil, inaugurated early this Monday afternoon by Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Furlan noted that investments announced in the first four months of this year already surpass, by 22.7%, those announced in the same period of 2003, with special notice to the mechanical-metallurgical, electronic, transport, petrochemical and telecommunications sectors.
"From January to April of this year, the total announcements from both national and foreign companies reached US$ 33.3 billion," he stated.
According to the minister, the goal for Brazilian exports is US$ 83 billion for 2004 and US$ 100 billion for 2006. According to him, the prediction for Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is 3.5%, 2% being for exports, which should generate 200,000 new jobs.
Space Brazil will meet until this Friday (18), from 9:00 to 06:00pm, parallel to the 11th United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (Unctad), at the Parque de Exposições Anhembi, an expo center in São Paulo.
