Apex-Brasil, the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency announced yesterday during the Couromoda fair, the renewal of projects with the Brazilian Association of Shoe Manufacturers (Abicalçados) and with the Brazilian Association of Shoe and Leather Components Industries (Assintecal).
Investment by the agency should reach 28.7 million reais (US$ 16 million) provided by the agency and 27 million reais (US$ 15 million) to be invested by the associations.
“One of the great objectives after the renewal of the agreement will be diversification of markets and partners. Brazil already exports shoes to 146 countries. This means that our shoes lose to nobody else’s and that, in a short period of time, our brands may be on all shelves worldwide, including China,” said Alessandro Teixeira, president at the Apex.
According to the Abicalçados agreement, Apex will invest 19.1 million reais (US$ 11 million) and the association, 17.9 million (US$ 10 million). With the partnership, the organizations hope to supply 471 producers of shoes and to train them for export. In the text of the agreement, also included is the promotion of trade missions, like the one with foreign buyers headed to Brazil.
In the other agreement, Apex should invest 9.5 million reais (US$ 5 million) and the Assintecal, 9.1 million reais (US$ 5 million). The focus of the agreement is to promote local productive arrangements, for which managers in the project forecast the participation of 372 companies that make components for shoes.
Brazil is the fourth main exporter of shoes in the world. In 2009, the country made US$ 1.36 billion with sales abroad. In 2010, the factory expects growth of 3% in sector export revenues.
The Brazilian states that most export are Rio Grande do Sul (US$ 765.8 million), Ceará (US$ 294.3 million) and São Paulo (US$ 118.9 million). With regard to the shoe component market, in 2009, Brazil exported US$ 938 million. The Assintecal estimates that in 2010, exports should grow between 3% and 5%.
