Geraldo Alckmin said the emerging situation on the world stage makes Brazil a “great alternative” for a market that increasingly demands, in addition to quality and good price, organic products, as reported by RedeTV!, a partner of TV BRICS.

During his participation in the Powershoring and Green Neoindustrialisation of Brazil 2 Perspectives, Potential, Public and Private Policies conference organised by the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) in Brasilia, Alckmin listed a number of factors that represent a competitive advantage for the country, which he said ranks fifth in attracting direct investment.

The environmental issue and the realisation – mainly by rich countries – of its detrimental impact on the climate will present unprecedented benefits for Brazil and other countries that have vast tracts of forest on their territory, said Alckmin.

“There has always been a question: where to produce qualitatively and cheaply? Now it is phrased differently: where can I produce well, cheaply and offset carbon emissions? And then Brazil is a great alternative. We’ll get great opportunities for growth. Neo-industrialisation is precisely innovation plus environmental friendliness,” said the Vice President.

According to Alckmin, the Amazon Biotechnology Centre (CBA), which has been researching and creating new products using raw materials from the Amazon for 21 years, will play an important role in this context. Among the interests at the heart of this centre are food, beverages, drugs, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. The institute is also involved in training residents of traditional communities.

“We have a new model and management contract with CBA to take another step towards turning Amazon biodiversity into jobs and income. It is important to create a patent – business – product chain,” he added.

Alckmin recalled that the world currently depends mainly on three tropical forests located in Brazil, Congo and Indonesia, “because the Amazon rainforest is by far the largest and most important.”

He added that the government has taken measures to continue the continuous work on land titling and fight against deforestation. Another challenge identified by Alkmin is decarbonisation.

“And here we already have a successful project – biodiesel,” the vice president reminded of the successful project.

Alckmin reiterated that Brazil no longer imports diesel to maintain the strategy of increasingly replacing it with vegetable oil produced in the country itself, as in the case of soybean oil.

“There’s also ethanol, that’s a reality. The hybrid car is a source of pride in Brazil. Our petrol is the only one that contains 27% ethanol and there is scope to get to 30%. That’s why we emit less (polluting gases),” he said, affirming that biodiesel and ethanol offer “great opportunities” for the country’s future.

“The whole world is looking to replace paraffin for aeroplanes with environmentally friendly fuels, and Brazil is among the big players in this field. If we get involved in research and innovation, we will get ahead,” he added.

Photo: Agencia Brasil &
RedeTV!