The real opening of

portsSmall and mid-sized companies interested in foreign trade have an ally in commercial importers and exportersRobeRto t icoul at*

T he aim of this article is not to criticize the vari-ous policies adopted by our government but instead to try and en-

courage the future presidential and state governorship candidates to implement new economic policies, particularly for foreign trade. This would allow Brazil to start grow-ing again and confront the chal-lenges knocking at the economy´s door. Anyone who works in foreign trade knows that Brazil has never had a policy for the area focused on increasing the country´s share of the vast global market. We have always adopted policies to cover balance of payment deficits, a predictable nuisance resulting from few or in-efficient efforts at creating products Made in Brazil.

Forecasts show that if Brazil were to increase its share of world trade from its current measly 1.2% to a still mediocre 2%, our econo-my could grow by around 10% — a real jump in quantity and, above all, quality. When Brazil´s agricul-tural sector recently responded to the challenges of providing food as a result of the arrival of more con-

sumers, we created large amounts of foreign reserves.

However, the government was incapable of handling these reserves properly mainly because of the backdrop of high domestic interest rates. It responded too late by ap-

plying taxes on financial operations as a means of arbitrating the differ-ences between domestic interest rates and those in other countries. By doing so, it gave foreign specu-lators an extraordinary opportunity, artificially strengthening the Real and damaging the country´s growth. This appreciation had an enormous impact on controlling inflation but ended up condemning the whole industrial chain to low growth.

Much still remains to be done on various fronts to reverse the lack of incentives to those who want to enter the global market.

However, we have made consider-able advances in extending access to international trade to a segment that is, shall we say, the weakest in this chain. I am referring to micro, small and medium-sized enterpris-es which can find that their export

efforts and presence on the world market have been simply barred by the heavy hand of bu-reaucracy. The biggest allies the micro, small and medium-sized companies have in en-tering the world market

are the commercial importers and exporters which can help them deal with the legal complexity and win customers overseas.

This entrepreneurial force cur-rently has around 15,000 commer-cial firms ready to attend different sectors and products and deserves to be better understood and sup-ported by all business players. At the end of the day, it is they who have won over more and more buyers of Brazilian products in previously uncharted markets on all continents, such as Asia and the Middle East. The fact is that the large trading

Brazil has never had policies to expand its presence in foreign trade

houses are more suited to markets with the capacity to handle large volumes of exports and imports. Good examples are exports of farm and mineral commodities along with imports of general industrial input and input for fertilizers in the case of agriculture.

The commercial exporters op-erate in the opposite way from the trading houses, such as the export-ing houses of the small and mid-sized producing companies on the domestic market. These companies have no experience of international markets, nor do they have the will-ingness or resources to set up ex-pensive export departments and train staff. Commercial companies´ operations are driven by facilitating and simplifying export mechanisms. For example, they map and know large importers in different markets and understand what goods will be the winners abroad. This is all done without burdening the companies with heavy internal costs.

Imagine the fixed costs compa-nies face in creating departments to serve the international market. We have reinforced this point at events and meetings with export-

ers. I would stick my neck out and claim that these costs would often be more expensive in many cases than the amount raised in dollars or other convertible currencies – with a heavy burden of regulatory docu-ments and authorizations on top of that. Commercial companies formed

the Brazilian Council of Commercial Importing and Exporting Compa-nies (CECIEx) in June 2012. This organization employs specialists in various markets and sectors who know in detail how to formalize con-tracts correctly and the golden rules for getting along on particular mar-kets, such as those with a religious

aspect, to give one example.At the same time, the efforts to

take part in this commercial game of chess will be a new and stimulating learning process for domestic com-panies, particularly when faced with international competition at home. Companies will have to go interna-tional and the best way to ensure good results is to form partnerships with commercial exporters and im-porters. They will finally gain the knowledge that is so important for the modernization of our companies. One example of these new competi-tive challenges is the arrival on the Brazilian market of coffee capsules. Even those Brazilian companies that do not compete on the international market need to be prepared for the appearance of this kind of consump-tion which is now present on every corner, in homes and offices. They must have the conditions to confront these new technologies which have arisen in other parts of the world

and even defend their domestic market.

CECIEx not only or-ganizes business meet-ings with companies that want to become part of the international market but also carries out international mis-

sions and helps familiarize mid-sized and small companies with the demands of increasingly globalized markets. Its greatest mission is to represent the demands and points of view of the producers and pro-mote initiatives that eliminate the obstacles to Brazilian companies going international.

Commercial exporters know the rules of the international markets

* Roberto Ticoulat is chairman of the Brazilian Council of Commercial Importing and Exporting Companies (CECIEx), a businessman and agricultural producer.

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