The National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES) and the Northeast Consortium (CNE) signed this Thursday (12), in Natal, a technical cooperation agreement to support the design and structuring of projects and public policies, provide information exchange and experiences, as well as promoting studies and training actions.
For the president of BNDES, Aloizio Mercadante, the partnership will contribute to the prosperity of the region. “Investing in the Northeast means doing justice, making the country more equal. The BNDES partnership with Consórcio Nordeste will make it more effective to achieve this objective,” said Mercadante.
The governor of Rio Grande do Norte, Fátima Bezerra, as president of the Northeast Consortium, also signed the document.
“According to the agreement, initiatives will be created based on the following guidelines: preservation and restoration of the Caatinga biome and promotion of sustainable development in the semi-arid region; support for family farming, in order to increase productivity and commercialization capacity, with incentives for cooperativism and the diversification and expansion of access channels to credit in this segment; expansion of sources of financing and resources to support investments in the region (according to the agreement, part of the investments must promote innovation, increased production complexity, industrialization and infrastructure); reducing the effects of climate change; cooperation to promote sustainable infrastructure and strengthen public policies aimed at reducing social vulnerabilities in the region”, says BNDES.
The Interstate Consortium for Sustainable Development of the Northeast, the official name of the CNE, is a public association, autonomous and interfederative in nature, established by the congregation of the nine states of the Northeast region. The consortium represents a population of around 55 million inhabitants. Despite being 27% of Brazil’s population, the region accounts for only 14% of the gross domestic product (GDP) and 11% of the credit for companies offered by the National Financial System (SFN).
In the last four years, BNDES approvals for the Northeast increased by 45%, going from R$12 billion in 2020 to R$17.5 billion in 2023.
These operations were carried out with companies of all sizes. The biggest growth was in approvals for micro, small and medium-sized companies (MSME), 51%, while 43% of credit went to large companies (turning over R$300 million). When comparing the entire year 2023 with the first nine months of this year, growth was 20.6%.
