Exporta Mais Brasil: Brazil's largest export incentive program reaches one-year mark with more than 700 companies served

The Exporta Mais Brasil program, created by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Agência Brasileira de Promoção de Exportações e Investimentos /ApexBrasil), completed one year this Sunday (August 18). The program has shown remarkable results. Since August 2023, the agency has held 5,145 business rounds between international buyers and Brazilian companies, generating an expected BRL 469 million in new business. A total of 738 companies have benefited from the largest Brazilian export incentive program ever implemented.

“Exporta Mais Brasil has been one of our main initiatives since we arrived at ApexBrasil, so completing a year with such significant numbers is a testament to our success. Since last year, we have been touring the country extensively, visiting enterprises, talking to business owners and promoting business with buyers from all five continents, whom we invited specifically for the program," celebrated ApexBrasil President Jorge Viana. "The Agency has been committed to strengthening local productive sectors, especially in the North and Northeast, as well as small and medium-sized enterprises and businesses led by women—a commitment from ApexBrasil to gender equity in foreign trade,” he noted.

According to Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (Ministério do Desenvolvimento, Indústria, Comércio e Serviços /MDIC), Geraldo Alckmin, “the best way to export is to bring the buyer here, whether they are importers from Asia, the United States, Europe or Latin America, to sell them products”. Alckmin also pointed out, “exporting companies get an upgrade, they go up several levels, make strides. All the indicators show this.’’

Encouraging companies of different sizes and sectors to export is on the government's agenda. “Under President Lula’s administration, we are breaking export records and have registered the highest trade balance. We want more companies exporting. We want small and medium-sized companies to export, too. That is why ApexBrasil and Jorge Viana's team are in every corner of the country with Exporta Mais Brasil, going to every region, doing their job to grow Brazilian exports,” Alckmin emphasized.

Expanding markets

In June of this year, businessperson Siderlei Luiz, from SM Madeiras, participated in an Exporta Mais Brasil event focused on the sustainable wood processing sector in Alta Floresta, Mato Grosso do Sul. His company is a pioneer in the development of sustainable forest management in Brazil and holds certification from the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC). According to Siderlei Luiz, the program has generated positive sales expectations. “We aim to serve buyers sustainably, showcasing our best products and production practices,” he says. Sustainable management promotes responsible practices throughout the wood production chain, helping to preserve the forest, reduce fires, and combat illegal deforestation.

International trade has also become possible for Casa da Sela. Igor Santiago, the company's director, began his journey in search of new markets with ApexBrasil's Export Qualification Program (Programa de Qualificação para Exportação /PEIEX). In the April edition of Exporta Mais Brasil, the company focused on leather and hides and took part in an international business round for the first time. “Our company is from Governador Edson Lobão, the leather industrial hub in Maranhão. The experience of talking to buyers from countries like South Africa, Colombia, and China and the networking we had was very important for us,” says the entrepreneur, recalling the possibilities of generating good business in the coming months.

The business rounds bring international buyers face to face with Brazilian entrepreneurs. “Meeting new suppliers from Brazil brought by ApexBrasil is an extraordinary experience,” said Craig van Heerden, director of HideSkin in South Africa, an importer that buys around 650 bovine hides and skins per month and needs to increase the volume. Christian Orbe, manager of Bunky, a footwear factory with 800 distributors in Ecuador, added, “It is a beautiful initiative by ApexBrasil and we are embracing the new opportunities, with the aim of doing new business”.

Products and services linked to specific sectors of Brazilian culture, typically made in Brazil, are also part of the rounds. In September last year, for example, an event held in Fortaleza (CE) brought together 58 craftsmen and craftswomen from the five regions of the country - from sectors such as ceramics, wood, natural fibers, and lace - and 10 international buyers from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Austria, the United States, China, Japan, and Jordan. More than 300 meetings were held, generating BRL 1.7 million in business during the event and in future sales.

Tocantins artisan Eliene Bispo has been working with golden grass for 23 years and chairs the Dianapolina Artisans Association in the city of Dianópolis, in the southeast of the state. She has recently signed a deal with buyers from China and Austria. Eliene Bispo was also a member of PEIEX and this experience facilitated her first contact with the international market. “When I started exporting, it was really hard because I didn't know how to do it, nobody explained it to me. So taking part in PEIEX was very interesting. I saw that there are other ways of doing things,” explained the professional. Bispo presented another piece of work that earned her fame overseas: she was responsible for embroidering around 180 small pieces of golden grass on the blazer and vest worn by Brazil's first lady, Janja Silva, on the day of the presidential inauguration. According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística/IBGE), handicrafts contribute to the economy of 67% of Brazilian municipalities and generate around BRL 50 billion a year.

“This program was created to bring companies from all regions closer to foreign trade, diversifying the origins of Brazilian exports. The way to do this is simple and effective: a frank and direct dialog between those who buy and those who sell. Sometimes a company is ready to sell but still needs support. We aim to reach out to these people, get to know their demands, and bring ApexBrasil's expertise in foreign trade to them,” explains Jorge Viana.

Winning the world

With the slogan “Touring the country so that our companies can win over the world”, Exporta Mais Brasil was created to boost the country's exports by actively approaching different sectors of the economy, from all regions of Brazil. Through the program, Brazilian companies have the opportunity to meet with international buyers who come to the country in search of quality products and services. “It is no coincidence that Brazilian exports continue to break records. In July, the country hit the mark of USD 30.9 billion in exports, an increase of 9.3% compared to July last year, due to the growth in the volume shipped. We also set a record for the year to date, from January to July,” highlighted ApexBrasil's Regional Manager, Jacy Bicalho Braga.

Over the past year, buyers from 246 international companies across 63 countries visited Brazil to explore business opportunities and discover Brazilian products in sectors such as food and beverages, cosmetics, fruits and derivatives, fashion, handicrafts, construction materials, dairy products, leather and fur, sustainable forest management, aquaculture and fishing, and ceramic tiles, among others. Major markets, including China, the United States, Japan, Germany, the United Kingdom, Chile, Colombia, Uruguay, and Saudi Arabia, have repeatedly participated in the business rounds organized by ApexBrasil. In 2024, 21 new markets were added to the program, including Thailand, Romania, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Armenia, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the Philippines, and Iceland.

About ApexBrasil

ApexBrasil is a non-profit, collective interest, and public utility organization that shows the world what Brazil has to offer. The Agency is dedicated to promoting Brazilian products and services internationally and attracting investment to key sectors of the economy, increasing the global visibility of Brazilian companies. To achieve this, it leads a variety of initiatives, including trade missions, business roundtables, and support for Brazilian companies participating in major international trade fairs. The Agency also facilitates visits by foreign buyers and opinion leaders to explore Brazil's production infrastructure and foster business opportunities. Currently, the Agency supports over 17,000 companies, 43% of which are micro and small enterprises.

Contact: imprensa@apexbrasil.com.br

Theme: International Expansion - Attracting Foreign Investment

Export Sector: Food, Beverages, and Agribusiness

Service sector:

Market: South America

Investment sector: Not applicable

Publication Language: Portuguese