The acting president, Geraldo Alckmin, inaugurated, this Friday (24), the Export Processing Zone (ZPE) of Cáceres, in Mato Grosso.
“The sectors that export, being in an ZPE, they have a facility, they have a gain from an economic point of view that helps in the export process. And we are here almost on the border, so, it is extremely important”, he explained.
With an area of 240 hectares, the Cáceres ZPE included investments of R$51.3 million in infrastructure and administrative works.
ZPEs are free trade areas intended for the production of goods for export and the provision of services linked to export activity. This is the fourth active ZPE in the country, adding to those in Uberaba (MG), Pecém (CE) and Parnaíba (PI).
Production in this space, destined for export, guarantees companies suspension of the collection of some taxes and duties on the acquisition of inputs and raw materials, with conversion into exemption or zero rate if the final product is exported. If the production is sold on the domestic market, taxes are charged.
Alckmin highlighted that Cáceres is a municipality with a large territorial extension – 12 times larger than the city of São Paulo – and that it can attract investments for the installation of agro-industries, for example, adding value to crops and livestock in the region.
“If I am a champion in agriculture, I will add value to generate more jobs and improve income”, he argued, in conversation with local journalists.
The new ZPE already has a company operating, TRC Agroflorestal, which produces wooden and teak boards.
Integration
THE Cáceres ZPE is still strategically located on one of the South American Integration routesthe Quadrant Rondon route. THE Brazilian government program aims to optimize logistics and strengthen trade with neighboring countries and Asia, connecting different regions of Brazil through projects in highways, railways, waterways, ports and airports.
The president also stated that he will talk to the Minister of Ports and Airports, Silvio Costa Filho, to unlock the Paraguay-Paraná Waterway. The waterway in the Rio de la Plata basin connects five South American countries: Brazil, Paraguay, Bolivia, Argentina and Uruguay.
“The stretch that needs to be desilted, that needs to improve the draft, is Cáceres to Corumbá [MS]. So, this is the part that requires investment. We need to have economic efficiency, reduce costs, improve logistics and integrate modes, integrate the various types of modes. So, this waterway is essential”, he highlighted.
