Economies Are Stagnant or Declining in 70% of 5,700 Brazilian Cities

Of the total of 5,700 municipalities in Brazil, around 4 thousand have economies that are stagnating or declining, approximately 800 have sustained balanced growth, and only 200 (capitals, beach resorts, and industrial zones) have experienced much faster economic growth than the rest.

These numbers are drawn from a study that the National Economic and Social Development Bank (BNDES) has been conducting since the beginning of the year, in partnership with the Espí­rito Santo State Development Bank (Bandes), to identify the need for investments in cities.

The data were presented Thursday, October 13, at the first seminar of the Quality Cities ("Qualicidades") project, which studies ways to stimulate the development of Brazilian cities.

The director of Planning at the BNDES, Antônio Barros de Castro, said that the study, which should be completed by July, 2006, focuses on approaches to meet the urban crisis and compares successful and unsuccessful experiences in various cities. According to Barros de Castro, the analysis will serve to guide the bank in its investments.

The coordinator of the Quality Cities project, Luiz Paulo Vellozo Lucas, is in favor of cities’ having more autonomy to decide the best path for their development. He emphasized that cities with the highest rates of economic development are also the ones that face the most serious urban problems, such as slum formation, violence, and environment imbalance. For these cities, he explained, government policies and investments in housing, public safety, and basic sanitation are required.

"On the other hand, for the cities with stagnant economies, the majority of which depend upon family farming, what is needed are credit programs for irrigation and the purchase of agricultural machinery and equipment to warehouse and market what they produce," Lucas went on to say.

Agência Brasil

Tags:

You May Also Like

Amazon Security Is Top Priority for Brazil

At the opening of yesterday’s meeting of Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization (OTCA) Foreign Ministers, ...

Brazil’s Expomilk Brings Businessmen from US and Canada

The 14th edition of the Brazilian Dairy Cattle Exhibition and International Dairy Industry Expo ...

Search Goes On for Jet Lost in the Atlantic on Flight from Brazil to France

Even during the night two Brazilian Air Force planes using radar and night vision ...

Brazil Celebrates Victory Against EU at WTO

The São Paulo (Brazil) Union of Sugarcane Agro-industry (Unica) considers a real victory of the ...

Operation Strike

Brazilian Police Get Out in Force and Arrest Over 2,500

In a little more than 10 hours – from 6 am to 5 pm ...

Foreign Bulls Stir Brazil’s Market

Brazilian  market strengthened this Friday, January 14, amid a batch of economic news, with ...

Brazilian President Calls World Criticism of Biofuels “Dirty Trick”

Brazil is not that "poor little thing" anymore and the country will not allow ...

Gene Maps for Three Deadly Parasites Near Completion in Brazil

Researchers in Brazil say they are close to completing ‘genetic maps’ of the parasites ...

Blaming World for “Hidden Protectionism” Brazil Spends US$ 35 Bi to Protect Its Industry

The Brazilian government announced on Tuesday tax cuts and other stimulus measures worth about ...

How to Advertise in Brazzil.com

Our sitewide (including homepage) text link prices in brazzil.com are: One month = US$ ...