Pará advances in the consolidation of the ZPE of Barcarena with the presentation of a strategic industrial project
The initiative reinforces the State's commitment to sustainable industrialization and the verticalization of production
The Economic Development Company of Pará (Codec), in partnership with the Federation of Industries of the State of Pará (Fiepa) and the State Secretariat for Economic Development, Mining and Energy (Sedeme), held an institutional meeting on the afternoon of this Tuesday (5) to present the anchor project of the future Export Processing Zone (ZPE) of Barcarena, a municipality in the Tocantins Integration Region.
The meeting, held at Fiepa's headquarters in Belém, brought together representatives from strategic institutions for the implementation of the ZPE, an initiative of the State Government that aims to expand the export agenda, attract new industries, and promote the verticalization of production chains in the Pará territory.
Attending the meeting were the president of Fiepa, Alex Carvalho; the director of Coinfra of the Federation and president of the Center of Industries of Pará (CIP), José Maria Mendonça; the deputy secretary of the State Secretariat for Economic Development, Mining and Energy (Sedeme), Carlos Ledo; the deputy secretary of the Secretariat of Environment and Sustainability (Semas), Rodolfo Zahluth Bastos; and the director of Environmental Licensing of Semas, Marcelo Moreno.
Also present were the director of the Senai Institute of Innovation in Mineral Technologies, Adriano Lucheta; the directors of Codec, Pádua Rodrigues (Directorate of Strategy and Institutional Relations), Manoel Ibiapina (Directorate of Investment Attraction), and Ruy Klautau (Technical Directorate), in addition to technicians from the areas of planning, investment attraction, environment, and projects of the Company.
The meeting was opened by the president of Fiepa, Alex Carvalho, and the director of Codec, Pádua Rodrigues, who highlighted the importance of the articulation between the productive sector, the state government, and municipalities to consolidate a new framework for industrial development in Pará.
During the presentation, the president of Bravo Mineração, the proponent of the industrial project, Luis Azevedo, detailed the technical guidelines of the plant that will be implemented in the ZPE, focusing on the verticalization of the mineral chain and the export of products with higher added value. The project foresees the refining and processing of strategic metals such as palladium, platinum, rhodium, gold, and nickel, with an estimated production capacity of 450,000oz per year. +8,500 tons of Nickel, the rest is correct.
The proposal meets the criteria required by the Federal Government for the qualification of the ZPE and represents an advance in the sustainable industrialization of the State, with the prospect of generating jobs and new opportunities for the mineral chain and associated sectors.
"The presence of an anchor company is essential for the effectiveness of the ZPE. The presented project meets the required criteria, invests in innovation, and adds value to the mineral production of the State. Pará has the vocation to lead a new model of industrial development focused on export," said Pádua Rodrigues, director of Codec.
The director also highlighted the strategic role of the ZPE as a public policy instrument for economic and social development and for increasing international trade, in the industrial transformation of the main productive chains of the state.
"Today, approximately 70% of Barcarena's exports are still of primary products, such as ores and agricultural products. Only about 10% comes from the industrial transformation process. This shows that, without effective instruments, we cannot attract investors to transform here within Pará. The ZPE creates this competitive differential, making it possible to install industries focused on the transformation of raw materials. It is a vector of development that can boost the verticalization not only of the mineral chain but also of agricultural and forestry production, such as açaí and cocoa," he reinforced.
The creation of the ZPE of Barcarena is a project awaited in Pará since 1988. Through the integrated action of Codec and Sedeme and now with decisive support from Fiepa, all technical, legal, environmental, and economic requirements have been forwarded to the Federal Government for the official viability of the enterprise.
"The ZPE of Barcarena represents a new chapter in the history of Pará's industrialization. We are joining efforts for a more competitive, sustainable model with quality job generation for our population. This project is strategic and transformative for the State. If this union of all the agencies present here continues with synergy, the chance of consolidation is much greater," emphasized Alex Carvalho, president of Fiepa.
The estimate is that the project will generate more than 700 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to consolidating Barcarena as a strategic logistics and export hub for Northern Brazil. The special regime of the ZPE provides for tax incentives and a regulatory environment aimed at attracting companies with an export profile, aligned with the new Brazilian industrial policy.
Codec continues to lead the technical conduct of the process, promoting integration between government, the productive sector, and investors, focusing on transforming the State's economic matrix and inserting Pará into global value chains.
Next step: decisive meeting in Brasília
On August 11, representatives from Codec, Sedeme, Fiepa, and the Barcarena city hall will participate in a meeting in Brasília with the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce, and Services (MDIC), through the National Council of Export Processing Zones (CZPE). The meeting will be decisive for the official qualification of the ZPE of Barcarena, a fundamental step for the consolidation of the project in the State.
