Signing Ceremony of the Partnership between APEX-Brasil and Centrorochas

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carlos Alberto Franco França, and the Minister of Mines and Energy, Bento Albuquerque, took part in the signing ceremony of the Technical and Financial Cooperation Agreement between APEX-Brasil and the Brazilian Center for Decorative Rocks Exporters (Centrorochas), held on June 26. The agreement aims to expand exports, add value and diversify markets for the Brazilian decorative rocks sector. Participants in the ceremony included Federal Deputy Evair Vieira de Melo, Secretary General of Foreign Affairs Fernando Simas Magalhães, the President of APEX-Brasil, Augusto Pestana, and the President of Centrorochas, Frederico Robison, along with other congress members and entrepreneurs of the decorative rocks industry.

The mineral sector accounts for nearly 2.5% of Brazil’s GDP, creates around 3 million direct and indirect jobs and represents more than R$ 50 billion in taxes and royalties per year. The decorative rocks industry brings together 12,200 companies, creates more than 480,000 direct and indirect jobs and is mainly composed of small and medium-sized companies. Due to its characteristics, the decorative rocks sector can greatly benefit from trade promotion actions such as those under the agreement signed between Centrorochas and APEX-Brasil.

Brazil is the world’s fifth-largest producer and exporter of decorative rocks. In 2020, the country exported 2.2 million tons, amounting to US$ 987.4 million. The United States, China, Italy, Mexico, and the United Kingdom are among the main destinations for Brazilian exports. In terms of geographical distribution, the Southeast region accounts for 55.2% of the domestic production, followed by the Northeast (35.5%). Among the States, Espírito Santo is the top producer (33%), followed by Minas Gerais (20%), Bahia (13%), Ceará (11%), and Paraíba (5%).