According to Amorim, a commission will be created to jointly implement the plan. “We are jointly discussing the implementation of this plan. We already had an exchange of information in the past, but now this will be done in a more transparent manner”. The first technical meeting of the committee should be held in February or March.

Consolidation of the South America defense industry and the theme of combating organizations that practice trans-national crimes will also be taken up by the Ministers at the Union of South American Nations (UNASUR). “This fight against drug trafficking and trafficking in weapons and explosives will become stronger through a common effort”, said Minister Juan Carlos Pinzón Bueno.

Topics discussed at today’s meeting will be raised at the UNASUR meeting of Ministers of Defense and Justice, scheduled to take place on May 3 and 4 in Cartagena, Colombia.

The expansion is mainly due to the elevation of the average export price, which rose in all main sectors involved in trade related agribusiness. The amount exported showed elevation in only two of the five main sectors: soy complex (+8.0%) and coffee (+1.4%), placing soy complex as the main export sector, with US$ 22.95 billion and elevation of 38.9% in the year.

Ranked second position in revenue is the sugar-alcohol complex, with recorded sales of US$ 14.99 (+18.9%). Meats remained in third place among the major exporting sectors, totaling US$ 14.35 billion (+14.8%). In fourth position are forest products, with sales of US$ 8.82 billion or 5% above the registered from January to November 2010. Right after, coffee appears in fifth position, with export value of US$ 7.89 billion (+55.7%).

Growth in the value exported to major economic blocks was also registered, between January and November 2011: Africa (+42.1%); Oceania (+49.6%); Western Europe (+33.2%); Asia (+31.1%), Nafta (+22.5%), Mercosur (+19.9%) and European Union (+18.1%). As for countries, between January and November 2011, there was an increase in exports to most of the 20 major destinations importers of Brazilian products, compared to the same period in 2010. Algeria (+74.6%), Japan (+49.6%), China (+45.6%) and Spain (+40.6) stood out among the major markets in terms of value.

The study says that 40% of all goods and services produced came from developing countries. According to the World Bank, a change in the assessment formula allowed the elevation of Brazil and other countries, like China, that jumped from fourth to second place. The report used as the main measure, the purchasing power parity – which allows to evaluate the ability to purchase through local currency and no longer by simple conversion of local currency to the dollar. “With the purchasing power parity, it is possible to compare market size, structure of economies, and what money can be bought,” says the report released by Bird.

The document places the United States in first place and China in second. Japan is in third; Germany in fourth, and India in fifth. Brazil occupies the sixth position, the same as United Kingdom, France, Russia and Italy. Spain and Mexico were ranked in seventh place. By the new parameter, United States, China, Japan, Germany and India respond together for nearly half of the world economy.

“All our projects have matured and are reaching cruise speed in 2012. Economic stability and fiscal robustness will allow our monetary policy to remain very favorable to the country. Our credit situation is also extremely advantageous”.

The President attributed the best moment of Brazil in relation to other countries to the international reserves and liquidity of Brazilian banks.

“Today, our country is capable of supporting this [crisis] not only because we have US$ 350 billion [of international reserves], but also because we have a huge liquidity mattress deposited by the banking system with our Central Bank”.

“Several countries are stagnant and we have a single challenge. We don’t have to stop. We have to move forward, keep consuming, keep producing and I assure you that 2012 will be a year much better than 2011”, said the President, in a ceremony in Rio Grande do Sul.

According to him, the decision has already been negotiated with the ministry of Planning, Miriam Belchior, with the objective of accompanying sustainable development in different regions of the country. A proposal will be presented for opening of an office in the state of Paraná, one in the Northeast and another in the Amazon.

“We want to open them as soon as possible, already considering Rio + 20,”said Graziano to Agência Brasil, referring to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, scheduled for June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro.

Currently, FAO has only one office in Brazil, in Brasília, which has been operating for 32 years. Graziano said that an agreement has been made with the Planning Minister, at her suggestion, for the offices to be opened in public buildings, either in universities or even in a unit of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in the regions chosen. According to Graziano, Paraná was chosen due to the strength of family farming in the state. The states in the Northeast and in the Amazon region are yet to be defined.

Graziano, who will become the head of the FAO in January, based in Rome, introduced himself to the minister of Agriculture, Mendes Ribeiro Filho, and invited him to head the Brazilian delegation at the FAO’s Regional Conference, to take place in Buenos Aires in the last week of March next year.

“This is the first autonomous conference, to take decisions and report to the FAO,” said Graziano. According to him, the meeting will also define the work plan for the region up to 2019. During his campaign to the top post at the FAO, Graziano defended decentralization of the organisation, with more decision-making power in the hands of regional offices.

With such new financing, the total resources approved this year for wind farms reaches R$ 3.3 billion, the largest amount ever approved by BNDES and is 275% higher than the approvals granted along 2010, which totaled R$ 1.2 billion.

Among the merits of the projects supported by the Bank is the diversification of the Brazilian energy matrix with a renewable source, without hydrological risk, in addition to environmental benefits. The wind farms will contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by MW/hour of electricity generated in the interconnected system. The projects also have a potential for generating carbon credits.

The project will also have a positive impact on the region, making it more dynamic, since it should increase the collection of taxes. Additionally, it is expected to diversify the economic activities of those areas.

In addition, dedicated workstations will be available to support research in the areas of environment, sustainable energy, health, women, science and agro science. Other activities such as lectures, videoconferences and exhibitions are also scheduled.

The goal, according to CNPq, is to strengthen cooperation between the two countries in the area of science and technology, in addition to offering information support for students, scientists and researchers.

The Director of institutional cooperation of CNPq, Manoel Barral, the Ambassador of United States in Brazil, Thomas Shannon, and the Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the U.S Government, Wendy Sherman participated in the event

The Science Corner space already exists in seven countries of Latin America: Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay and should be expanded to other Brazilian cities.

The increase is mainly due to a rise in average export price, which increased in all major agribusiness export sectors. The quantity exported had an increase in only two of the five main sectors: soy complex (+8.0%) and coffee (+1.4%). This places soy complex as the principal export sector with US$ 22.95 billion, an increase of 38.9% in the year.

The second largest revenue earner is the sugar/ethanol complex, with record sales of US$ 14.99 (+18.9%). Meat remained in third position among the major export sectors, totaling US$ 14.35 billion (+14.8%). In fourth place is forest products, with sales of US$ 8.82 billion, or 5% up on sales registered for January to November 2010. Coffee comes just behind in fifth place, with an export value of US$ 7.89 billion (+55.7%).

Growth was also recorded in export value to the major economic blocs between January and November 2011: Africa (+42.1%), Oceania (+49.6%) Western Europe (+33.2%), Asia (+31.1%), NAFTA (+22.5%), Mercosul (+19 9%) and the European Union (+18.1%). An increase in exports to most of the countries that are principal export destinations for Brazilian products was registered compared to the same period in 2010. Among the major markets in terms of value Algeria (+74.6%), Japan (+49.6%), China (+45.6%) and Spain (+40.6) stand out.

The publication emphasizes the strength of the Brazilian economy in contrast to current volatility in the economies of developed countries.

In the evaluation of the Secretariat of Economic Policy (SPE), Brazil holds third position in the ranking of the economies most often cited as attractive destinations for foreign direct investment (FDI) after China and India. The research was undertaken by UNCTAD (United Nations Conference on Trade and Development). “The deepening financial crisis in Europe increases risk aversion and induces investors to take more conservative positions. However, inflows of long-term resources into Brazil, such as FDI, remains strong”, according to the publication.

In the third quarter of this year the inflow of investment reached US$ 17.9 billion, more than sufficient to finance the deficit of US$ 10.6 billion in current account transactions. FDI inflow is expected to reach US$ 60 billion for the year according to the `Focus´ market report published by the Central Bank (November). According to the Secretariat of Economic Policy foreign investment should continue strong in 2012, despite the global crisis. Favorable expectations for the Brazilian economy for the coming years and continued improvement through to the planning horizon contribute to this appeal.

The SPE cited the improvement in the country’s position with rating agencies. This year, in the midst of the crisis, Fitch, Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s reclassified Brazil’s grade upwards.

Investment

According to the bulletin, between 2011 and 2014 there will be substantial growth in investment in key infrastructure sectors in Brazil, such as electricity, telecommunications, sanitation, railways and ports. BNDES estimates that these segments will grow 54% in the period.

There should also be considerable growth in investment by industry in the coming years (60%), especially in the Oil & Gas and Chemicals sectors.

On the other hand, the bulletin confirms a slowdown in industrial production for September when compared with August, with a 2% reduction after seasonal adjustments, and 1.6% down compared to September 2010. However, industrial output registered an accumulated 1.6% expansion in the last 12 months.

The Brazilian economy showed a retraction – according to the Central Bank Indicator of Economic Activity (IBC-BR), economic activity grew by only 0.2% in September 2011 compared with August of the same year. In the third quarter of 2011, IBC-BR showed a decrease of 0.3% over the previous quarter.

Employment

Despite the contraction in activity, the SPE considers that the rate of formalization of employment continues to grow, reaching historical values in 2011 (53.5% in October). Among the factors contributing to this performance are increased productivity, higher levels of formal education, simplification of the tax structure and monitoring by government agencies. Additionally the unemployment rate has been in single figures since 2007. Since early 2011 the rate has remained around 6%. In October the unemployment rate registered 5.8%, the lowest percentage for the month since the reformulation of employment research in 2002.

Inflation

According to the SPE analysis, inflation is beginning to fall in Brazil. In the accumulated 12 month period to November inflation reached 6.64%, compared to 6.97% in October, according to IBGE reports. The department estimates that the reduction in price rises should continue in the coming months, pushing inflation toward the 2012 target (4.5%).

In the analysis, Professors Nivalde José de Castro, André Luis da Silva Leite and Guilherme Dantas assess what would be the alternatives to Belo Monte to meet the growing demand for energy, and the environmental impacts of these energy sources. According to the study, if Belo Monte were not to be built alternative sources would be required to meet demand, which would have greater environmental impacts or would not have sufficient reliability in terms of energy security to meet the growing need for electric energy that is forecast for the coming years Brazil.

“Belo Monte is an efficient project, it has to be built. Brazil needs energy and any new power generation unit causes environmental impact. We have to analyze the cost-effectiveness relative to other energy sources. This study makes it is clear that the hydro generation plant offers the best cost-effectiveness compared to other sources”, said Castro.

The academics point out that Brazil has large potential for alternative and renewable energy sources: wind, biomass and solar, but giving priority to these sources would imply a loss of competitiveness for the Brazilian economy due to the cost differential compared to hydroelectricity. There could also be problems with assuring security of supply, due to the seasonal and intermittent nature of these alternative sources.

“As such, in a scenario where Belo Monte would not be implemented, the construction of thermal power plants would be required to maintain a secure balance between energy supply and demand. The question that arises is what are the environmental impacts of fossil fuel alternatives compared to the environmental impact of Belo Monte”, the study states.

The analysis also points out that the cost of mitigating the social and environmental impacts of Belo Monte are around R$ 3.3 billion, which is lower than the environmental cost of a gas-fired thermal power plant which would be more than R$ 24 billion. “That is to say that the thermal power option has an environmental impact mitigation cost almost eight times that of Belo Monte.”

Belo Monte is one of the main projects within the Acceleration Growth Program (“PAC”) and should be completed by 2015. With an installed capacity of 11.2 Megawatts it will be the largest fully Brazilian hydroelectric plant (Itaipu, which has 14 Megawatts capacity, is bi-national) and will be the third largest in the world.