The countries of South America, rather than the United States, represent the main destiny of Brazil’s exports at present, although space on the US market has not been lost.
This affirmation was made on Friday, August 19, by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the inauguration of the IBM Information Technology Center in Hortolândia, in the interior of the state of São Paulo.
“We stopped sitting on the throne waiting for somebody to discover us and come to buy. We decided to get out and show what we are capable of,” he emphasized. Lula added that exports to the United States rose 20%.
The President pointed out that the government has invested in the information industry. According to him, the idea is to export US$ 2 billion in services and free software by the end of 2007.
Digital inclusion is another goal. Lula cited the Brazil House project – community telecenters equipped with at least 10 computers with high-speed connections and free software – in the country’s poor regions.
The President also referred to the expansion of the Computers for All program, recalling the creation of credit lines for the purchase of computers costing up to US$ 580 (1,400 reais).
Lula explained these lines will soon be available at the Bank of Brazil, the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES), and the Federal Savings Bank, at below-market interest rates.
The IBM Center is intended to search for technological solutions for the industrial and automotive sectors in Brazil and other countries. The company is expected to employ around nine thousand people over the next two years.
Agência Brasil
