São Paulo, February 11, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Reviving the domestic market is one of the missions of Lula's Administration in 2004, the Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, told entrepreneurs and representatives of international chambers of commerce on Monday (9), during a ceremony to inaugurate the São Paulo Chamber of Commerce, an organ of the São Paulo Commercial Association. The chief goal is the creation of new jobs, the Minister said.
Furlan presented a balance sheet of the activities of his Ministry, in which he highlighted the export debureaucratization package launched last July and the visits he made to 32 countries. "In commerce, nothing can replace personal contact. I sowed seeds," he summarized, recalling that the federal government made a conscious choice to emphasize exports in 2003.
The Minister pointed out two near-term opportunities on the foreign market for Brazilian businessmen. The first is a space negotiated with the largest British department store chain, Selfridges. Beginning May 4, the chain will make 200 square meters available in all of its principal stores for products made in Brazil. "We hope to boost the name of Brazil as a synonym of quality, the modern Brazil, associated with quality, high technology, fashion, and design," the Minister proclaimed enthusiastically.
The second business opportunity cited by Furlan is President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's trip to China, scheduled for May 22. A trade mission will accompany the President.
Among entrepreneurs, the biggest concern is the need to demystify exports. "Our challenge is to make foreign trade an activity for all entrepreneurs, not just the elite," said the president of the São Paulo Commercial Association, Guilherme Afif Domingos.
It is in this sense that the recently installed São Paulo Chamber of Commerce has a fundamental role to play. In countries like China and Taiwan, small firms account for around 80% of total exports. In Brazil, their share is only 6%.
The Federation of Commercial Associations of the State of São Paulo and the São Paulo Commercial Association expressed concern over the decision made by the Cade (federal anti-trust commission) in the Nestle/Garoto case and its consequences for the economy and employment. "In sectors in which neither a natural nor an official monopoly exists, an open economy represents the best guarantee for the population," states an open letter addressed to the Minister. "It seems questionable to consider Nestle's participation as excessive, without taking into account that it operates in a market that is open to the entry of new companies or imported products," the entrepreneurs affirm in the document.
The entrepreneurs also say in the letter that "interference by the State should be limited and, most of all, efficient . ... Independent of the merits of the decision, what worries the private sector the most is the fact that bureaucratic agencies have no set time periods to respond to requests, or they find ways to circumvent them, leaving companies completely defenseless when it comes to how long an authorization or decision may take." (DAS)
