Stone sector signs agreement with Apex-Brasil to increase exports

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Apex-Brasil and Centrorochas launched a partnership this Wednesday (16th), in Brasília. The idea is to leverage the internationalization of the sector, which already contributes with an annual average of US$ 1 billion exported.

 

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) launched today (6/16) the project for the internationalization of the ornamental stone sector, carried out through a partnership with the Brazilian Center for Ornamental Stone Exporters (Centrorochas), in ceremony at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), in Brasília. The objective of the partnership is to expand exports of Brazilian dimension stones, in addition to stimulating the sale of products with high added value. With an annual average of US$ 1 billion in exports, Brazil occupies the fifth position in the world in the production of ornamental stones. The idea is to leverage the numbers, based on the new agreement and the expertise in
internationalization of Apex-Brasil.

At the signing ceremony, the president of Apex-Brasil, Augusto Pestana, stated that the sectoral project will be essential to increase sector exports. “It is with great satisfaction that, at the house of Rio Branco, we came to reiterate Apex-Brasil’s commitment to the entire ornamental stone sector. For the coming years, significant growth is expected in this segment, with new opportunities and open frontiers for national companies, including smaller ones, which will count on the support of Apex-Brasil to transform these opportunities into
concrete business. The project includes digital actions, fundamental in the context of the pandemic, and also strengthens initiatives to add value
to the products of the sector”, he said.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Alberto França, reinforced that the mining sector accounts for around 2.5% of GDP and more than R$ 50 billion in taxes and royalties a year. “It is a dynamic and innovative sector that develops in a sustainable way, based on a modern regulatory framework that induces new investments. Our great challenge in the mineral sector is to diversify our exports, which are still concentrated in iron ore. The non-metallic subsector, which is where ornamental stones are inserted, is the one that generates the most jobs: there are more than 12 thousand companies, most of them medium and small, and almost half a million direct and indirect jobs. Brazil already occupies a prominent position in the world, but there is potential for us to further leverage our global participation in this segment, leading to additional positive results
in the generation of income and jobs”, he said.

Also present at the signing ceremony, the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, said that the MME Mining and Development Program, prepared by the Ministry and launched in 2020 by President Jair Bolsonaro, provides for several development objectives for the sector, which will be worked on by the sectoral project, such as adding value to products and opening new markets. “As much as Brazil is the fifth largest producer and exporter of ornamental stones, having exported 2.16 million tons in 2020, we need to diversify our buyers, currently very concentrated in the United States and China. I am convinced that the partnership signed today will greatly contribute to the social and regional development of the country, since the sector has as its characteristic component a wide network of small and medium-sized companies, generating jobs and income in various locations in the country. It will also serve to disseminate the diversity and attractiveness of national rocks in the world, from the most traditional to the most exotic”.

The importance of the sector for the Brazilian economy and the relevance of the new project was reinforced by the president of Centrorochas, Frederico Robison, who highlighted that the sector is new, only 60 years old, but has developed a lot. “Today we begin a new phase for promoting the natural beauties of Brazilian rocks in the international market. Throughout the project, we will work to increase the volume of exports, add value to the products, increase the number of exporting companies and work together with foreign designers and architects. Despite the high degree of maturity of some companies in the sector in the foreign market, this is not a reality for all those companies that export or that wish to export. This project will allow the adoption of structuring measures, of sectoral organization, which are extremely relevant for the evolution of the sector, creating a more favorable environment for the development of companies and their activities”, he highlighted.

Federal deputy Evair Vieira de Melo (PP-ES), deputy leader of the government, attended the event and said he was motivated by the signed agreement. “This gesture by Apex-Brasil is a stimulus for the ornamental stone sector to continue representing Brazil with greatness and brings answers and solutions to a sector that needs it. It will become GDP in the trade balance, it will become a platform of pride

for Brazilians,” he said.

The ceremony was also attended by the vice-president of Centrorochas, Fabio Cruz, in addition to representatives of exporting companies in Brazil.

about the sector

According to Centrorochas, Brazilian exports of ornamental stones showed, in the first four months of this year, a growth of 28.5% in revenue compared to the same period in 2020. In total, the national sector exported 655.5 thousand tons of rocks, including slabs and blocks – the main importing countries were the United States (42.6%), China (27.4%) and Italy (6.4%).

Espírito Santo stands out in the stone sector as it is the largest producer and the main exporter of slabs and blocks in Brazil, with the largest processing park and the largest production center of capital goods for the segment. In 2019, the State accounted for 81.7% of total revenue and 76.2% of the total physical volume of Brazilian stone exports. Added to Ceará and Minas Gerais, the three states are responsible for 95% of ornamental stone exports from Brazil.

Born in Brazil

Developed in partnership between Apex-Brasil and Centrorochas, the It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone project is aimed at Brazilian companies in the ornamental stone sector, already exporters or that intend to export.

Over the 2021-2023 biennium, the project will be supported by four pillars: stimulating the development of companies in the sector, raising awareness of demand regarding the diversity of Brazilian rocks, promoting the expansion of markets and the deconcentration of exports, and promoting the image of the sector together with architects and designers. It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone will operate in eight main countries, spread over three continents: China, United States, United Arab Emirates, India, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom and Russia.

Preparatory seminars are planned by market (United States, China and Italy), workshops, individualized support to participating companies, trade promotion at international fairs, transactional marketing activities, in addition to the Imagem projects (which bring journalists and specialists to Brazil to participate in fairs and/or national sectoral events) and Buyer (which seeks to identify and bring to Brazil distributors, agents and inspectors who have the potential to import and are interested in ornamental stones
Brazilian).

Throughout its elaboration, the project had the support of several fronts, such as the industry federations of Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais and Ceará (the three largest exporting states in the segment), in addition to the employers’ unions of those states (Sindirochas-ES, Sinrochas- MG and Simagran-CE), among other institutions.

Coverings 2021

After a one-year hiatus, due to the stoppage required by the Covid-19 pandemic, the main fair for the natural stone industry in North America will take place from July 7th to 9th, in Orlando, Florida. The 2021 edition of Coverings will have the participation of Brazil to promote national rocks. Soon, Centrorochas, executing entity of It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone, will disclose details of the national participation.

save the date

The new sectoral project of the Brazilian ornamental stone sector, It’s Natural – Brazilian Natural Stone, will be presented to the entire market on July 6th, during the special opening edition of the second season of the Stone Summit, a virtual event composed of lives with important themes for the segment. Details will be released soon by the organizing company.

About Centrorochas

Founded on September 16, 2004, in Vitória/ES, the largest ornamental stone exporter in Brazil, the Centro Brasileiro dos Exportadores de Pedras Ornamentais acts directly in the procedures related to the presence of Brazilian businessmen abroad combined with commercial and operational activities related to the development and evolution of Brazilian companies.

About APEX-Brasil

Apex-Brasil acts to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy. To achieve these goals, the Agency carries out diversified trade promotion actions aimed at promoting exports and valuing Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and trade missions, business roundtables, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international fairs, visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to get to know the Brazilian production structure, among other business platforms that also aim to strengthen the Brazil brand.

 


press information

Karina Porto Firme – Communications Office

27 99705-5705

karina.portofirme@centrorochas.org.br