by: Jessica Ferreira
The Brazilian government hopes to finalize the South American integration routes within a maximum of four years, which should increase trade with neighboring countries and ease trade with China and other Asian countries.
At an event in Mato Grosso, the ministers of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro; Planning and Budget, Simone Tebet; and Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes, presented the Rondon Quadrant Route, one of the five South American Integration Routes.
The federal government’s proposal is to increase Brazil’s trade with neighboring countries through shorter routes and lower logistical costs, given the strength of the country’s exports and imports with Asia.
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“In four years, all these routes will be able to link our states to China and Asia,” said the Minister of Planning and Budget, who believes that the five routes will be interconnected, thus constituting a national project.
Data from the ministry shows that between 2000 and 2023, Mato Grosso moved from tenth to fourth place among Brazil’s main exporting states, with the state’s foreign sales rising from USD 1.7 billion to over USD 32 billion in the period.
In 2023, the soy, corn, beef and cotton complex accounted for more than 90% of Mato Grosso’s total sales, with China being the state’s biggest buyer, accounting for 41% of the total.
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The figures also show that Mato Grosso’s imports rose from USD 158 million in 2000 to USD 3.2 billion in 2023, mainly due to fertilizer imports, which accounted for more than 70% of the total.
“With all these routes, the whole of Brazil will benefit. Of course, where the routes are more structured, states like Mato Grosso will have the opportunity to benefit more,” concluded the Minister of Integration and Regional Development, Waldez Góes.
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