If Brazil is a continent, Minas is a country. The sentence, already heard many times, refers to the expressive dimensions of the state of Minas Gerais, with a territory larger than that of mainland France, a population twice that of Portugal, and an economy larger than many equally important countries, such as Hungary and New Zealand.
The Minas Guide reveals the greatness of Minas by presenting figures and information of great relevance to the importer, the investor, and the foreign tourist, man or woman, interested in knowing more about Brazil and, mainly, exploring the gigantic potential that our state features.
Privileged in natural and human resources, Minas Gerais has a diversified economy, anchored in mining, agriculture, the manufacturing industry, the creative economy, technological innovation, and a sophisticated chain of services, while at the same time, owner of the cultural repository most important in Brazil, it presents a myriad of typical products of the highest quality, capable of competing on an equal footing in the most demanding international markets.
During my term in the Government of Minas Gerais, as Undersecretary for Economic Development and Science and Technology, I had the pleasure of relaunching the state’s export promotion policy, in partnership with the Secretary of State for Agriculture and Livestock. In an entirely different way, we created a strategy aimed at niche markets and opening up new fronts, in countries in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, in line with what I had already learned at the beginning of my diplomatic career when I started at the Trade Promotion Department at Itamaraty.
In partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Apex-Brasil, it was possible to implement concrete actions to promote products such as fireworks, artisanal cheese, specialty coffees, and a variety of honey, among others, taking advantage of the supply shock that the pandemic caused in suppliers from competing countries, especially dairy products of European origin.
The fact is that Minas, although nationally recognized as a very important federated entity, needs to be the target of a continuous effort to become better known abroad. The state, which was the most visited by tourists from all over Brazil during the pandemic, given restrictions on international travel, still receives few foreign visitors, even with so many attractions, about which it is unnecessary to talk.
The Minas Guide works, in this sense, as a true business card with which Minas presents itself to the world, important not only to show economic aspects but also to highlight, clearly and objectively, everything that makes Minas Gerais so special.
ACMinas, with the brilliant vision of President José de Anchieta, remains at the forefront of Minas Gerais’ great economic aspirations by editing yet another updated version of this already traditional publication. I’m sure that even the public most familiar with the grandeur of Minas will be surprised by the content presented here.
Juliano Alves Pinto
Head of the Department of Legal Cooperation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
