Following a recent evaluation of an ITC project with the Trade Promotion Department of the Ministry of External Relations of Brazil, the Ministry decided to strengthen cooperation with ITC. As a result, ITC conducted a mission to Brasilia and other cities in September to develop a new project.
The Brazilian Trade Promotion Department is in charge of proposing, managing and executing policy related to trade promotion. At the international level, it works closely with selected international organizations, either directly or through a network of 52 trade offices located in 48 countries.
A major achievement of this project has been to launch BrazilTradeNet (http://www.braziltradenet.gov.br/), an Internet site with information on trade and investment to support Brazilian export-oriented SMEs. A central feature is its matchmaking opportunities: Brazilian and foreign enterprises can submit company contact information for inclusion in the site after verification. The site provides registered users with a database of more than 25,000 foreign and 7,000 Brazilian companies. It offers information on about 3,000 business opportunities for Brazilian products and services, supplies over 500 market briefs, and provides basic information for another 2000 products. The site also contains information to promote technology transfer. The site is growing rapidly, due to contributions from the network of trade offices and Brazilian trade-related organizations.
The ITC project with the Ministry strongly supports Brazil’s “Special Export Programme”, which aims to double exports — from US$ 53 billion in 1997 to US$ 100 billion in 2002. Coordinated by the Chamber of Foreign Trade, the project is implemented in a matrix model with 12 thematic areas and 59 products or sectors that account for almost 90% of Brazilian exports. Eight government agencies participate in the programme. Thematic areas include export financing, quality and technology, trading companies, export-oriented investment, tax regulations, labour issues and market access.
For more information, contact Rubens Lopes Braga, Senior Trade Promotion Officer, at braga@intracen.org
