Alana Gandra
Reporter - Agência Brasil

Rio - An analysis of Brazil's exports, which attained US$ 96.5 billion last year, reveals an increase in the number of firms forming the country's export base, outstanding among them, micro, small, and medium-sized firms.

The director of the Department of Foreign Trade Operations of the Ministry of Development, Edson Lupatini Júnior, informed today that 2004's net result indicates 1,020 new firms in the area of foreign trade, compared with 2003, as against an increase of 336 in 2003 in comparison with 2002. Around 900 of last year's new firms belong to the micro and small segment.

In Lupatini's view, "this demonstrates the correctness of the policy of support mechanisms that the government has been establishing for the purpose of expanding the export base," broadening the array of domestic companies that sell abroad.

According to Lupatini, 2004 was also characterized by a tendency towards deconcentration, in terms of markets, products, and export regions. Imports of Brazilian products grew as much as 1000% in eight countries, among them, Liberia, Sudan, Cyprus, Malta, and Poland.

In terms of products, 600 new items were exported in 2004, in a universe of 7 thousand items, corresponding to nearly 10% of the total number of items on the list. "Sales of the 600 new products represented nearly US$ 1 billion in revenues for the country. Most of them were manufactured goods, such as rubber-molding machines, metal extrusion presses, tower cranes, steel alloy machine wire, medications, eolic energy generators, instruments, and telecommunications devices," he said.

The balance for 2004 also shows a deconcentration in terms of Brazilian export regions. The Southeast and South were previously the dominant sources of foreign sales. As a result of the Export State program, the Brazilian states that used to be identified as annual exporters of less than US$ 100 million annually (Acre, Amapá, Mato Grosso, the Federal District, Maranhão, Pará, Rio Grande do Norte, Rondônia, Roraima, and Tocantins) have already surpassed this figure. The success of the program led Minister Luiz Fernando Furlan to set a new target of US$ 500 million, which will include other states.

According to Lupatini, all of Brazil's states experienced increases in their exports. The national total rose 32% in 2004 in comparison with 2003, with results in 16 states superior to the national overage. Amazônia was the only state in which there was a decrease, in consequence of the increase in domestic sales of cell phones.

Lupatini explained, however, that once these devices, which represent the state's principal export item, are excluded, the state's exports grew 26%.

Translation: David Silberstein