Brazil will only benefit from its mineral boom by adding value, says the Ministry of Development.

247 - Brazil will only be able to unlock the full economic and social potential of its strategic minerals if it develops robust processing and value-added industries, said Tólio Ribeiro, general coordinator of Metallurgy and Forest-Based Industries at the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC). The statement was made during a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, this Wednesday (29), and reproduced by iNFRA Agency, according to a report by Brazil Stock Guide.

Ribeiro highlighted that, although the country has registered progress in projects involving niobium and lithium, these cases are still isolated. “We cannot lose sight of the fact that the objective is not just a national policy for critical minerals,” he stated. “We understand this as a national policy for the development of the entire mineral production chain—it’s a strategic issue.”

The statements came after the first meeting of the National Council for Mineral Policy (CNPM), which created at least two working groups to address mineral strategy and strengthening the value chain.

From mineral exporter to industrial powerhouse

The MDIC coordinator emphasized that expanding local processing capacity is essential to transforming Brazil's mineral wealth into technological innovation, job creation, and sustainable economic growth. According to him, the country needs to move beyond the model based on exporting raw ore and advance towards complete industrial integration—from exploration and refining to the manufacture of components that supply global chains for batteries, electronics, and renewable energy.

Ribeiro argued that Brazil should leverage its privileged position in the global market for critical minerals to consolidate a new industrial policy focused on energy transition and reindustrialization. "The challenge is to transform our potential into real development, with added value and national technology," he emphasized.