Brazilian exports currently have as their main destinations the countries in South America. Even so they have not lost space in the United States, which has always been one of the greatest importers of national products.
The statement was made by Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the inauguration of the IBM Center of Information Technology, in the city of Hortolândia, in the interior of São Paulo state, in the Brazilian Southeast.
“We have stopped waiting sitting on our throne expecting someone to find us out and come buy (our products). We decided to come out and show what we are capable of doing,” he highlighted. Lula added that exports to the North Americans increased by 20%.
The President emphasized that the government has invested in the IT industry. According to him, the idea is to export US$ 2 billion in services and software until the end of 2007.
Digital inclusion is another objective. Lula mentioned the project Casa Brasil – a communitarian space equipped with, at least, 10 computers with high-speed connection and free software – in poor regions of the country.
The President also spoke of the expansion of the programs ‘Computers for All’. He recalled the creation of financing lines for the purchase of computers of up to US$ 590.
Lula explained that the lines will have lower interest rates than that charged on the market and will soon be offered by the Bank of Brazil, Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Caixa Econômica Federal.
The IBM center has the aim of finding technology solutions for the Brazilian and other countries’ industrial and automotive sectors. The company should employ about 9,000 people in the coming two years.
Agência Brasil
