New industrial policy can offer a "leap in quality" to Brazil, says Lula.
"Brazil needs to overcome this problem of never truly becoming a large and developed country. We're always on the verge but never quite get there," said the president.
247 - President Lula (PT) made a brief speech at launch of the new Brazilian industrial policy at the Planalto Palace this Monday (22), at a meeting of the National Council for Industrial Development (CNDI), chaired by the Vice President of the Republic and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB). The meeting is taking place to discuss and approve the new Brazilian industrial policy, which outlines the guidelines for the development of the sector until 2033. The announcement represents a robust initiative to boost the reindustrialization of Brazil, strengthening its position as a global industrial power.
In his speech, the president praised the intellectual "production capacity" of the CNDI members and stated that the R$ 300 billion that will be invested in the federal government's plan for industry is "a sign that we can move beyond our current level and take a leap in quality." "For this to happen, it's important that we have a consistent requirement for compliance with the things that were discussed here," he added. >>> "We cannot rebuild Brazilian industry without a new relationship between the state and the market," says Mercadante.
"It is very important for Brazil that we return to having an innovative, fully digitized industrial policy, as the world demands today, and that we can overcome once and for all this problem of Brazil never being a definitively large and developed country. We are always on the verge but never get there. We had reached the 6th largest economy, we fell back to the 12th, we've reached the 9th now – but not because we grew, but because others fell. And that's nothing to be proud of," the president added.
Next, Lula cited the need for Brazil to finance its industrial exports. "Often, for Brazil to become competitive, it has to finance some of the things it wants to export. We can't act as we always have, thinking that everyone is obligated to like Brazil, that everyone will buy from Brazil without us fulfilling our obligations. The debate at the international market level is very competitive. It's a war. I was in London in 2008 at the second G20 meeting, and we had discussed that it was definitively necessary to end protectionism as a way to recover the industry. What happened when the meeting ended? Protectionism increased more than ever, because many people talk about free markets when it comes to selling, but when it comes to buying, they protect their market like no one else."
"This meeting only deserves the conclusion that Brazil has finally brought together a group of people who will make industrial policy happen in Brazil, through a partnership between the private sector and the public sector," he concluded.