The minister of the MPO (Ministry of Planning and Budget), Simone Tebet, stated in an interview with CNN Money that the new South American integration routes — an initiative of the federal government together with neighboring countries — are expected to double trade on the continent in the next ten years.
According to Tebet, the scenario appears in preliminary surveys by Ipea (Institute for Applied Economic Research) on the topic. While doubling trade in ten years would be the “optimistic” scenario, the “conservative” outlook is 15 years.
“We have the capacity to double imports and exports with South America. We are still carrying out a study, but it is possible to do this in a decade. But not only that: it is also possible to double the flow of tourists, which boosts the economy, the service sector, hotels, restaurants, bars, among others”, he said.
South America is today the continent with the least “intraregional” trade: only 15% of trade between South American countries occurs between themselves. For comparison, in North America the figure is 40%; in Asia, over 55%; and in Europe, above 60%.
Tebet believes that logistical obstacles explain this scenario. “We export much more to the United States and China than to our neighbors. We have an avenue of opportunity when we look at South America.
Government completes sustainable route
One of the five routes in the integration plan was ready in November. .
Efforts with the governments of Peru, Ecuador and Colombia to set up the route — which has waterways and highways — began in 2023 and were completed in November. The last remaining work that was completed was the dredging of the Alto Solimões, a process that makes the stretch of the river navigable.
“Even though it has not yet been opened by the federal government, this route is already working. Before it worked very precariously. It is the most sustainable route [do plano de integração do governo] because it is entirely riverine, it crosses the Solimões River, the Madeira River, the Amazon River”, said Tebet.
The moment of completion, in the midst of COP30, is considered remarkable by the government, as one of the main benefits of the infrastructure will be to transport bioeconomy products from the forest to different regions of South America and especially to Asia, along the Pacific coast.
“To ensure that the forest remains standing, it is necessary to provide means of subsistence for the people of the Amazon. The route encourages cooperatives, which range from fish to coconuts, from coconuts to açaí, from açaí to rubber, to be more competitive. This route has a single objective: to cut corners”, he said.
