Atlantic Canada's Next Big Market Could Be Brazil, Minister Says
December 16th, 2011
Telegraph Journal December 16, 2011
Brazil may be the next big market for Atlantic Canada to tap into according to Bernard Valcourt, minister of state for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
Valcourt said recently published research, A Study to Identify Key Sectors of Opportunity for Atlantic Canadian Firms in Brazil, prepared for the Canada-Atlantic Provinces Agreement on International Business, confirms the potential for more trade with the South American country.
"The study focused on nine sectors that are well-developed here in Atlantic Canada and it concludes that there is strong potential for doing business in Brazil," he said.
He said there is a great deal of demand in Brazil for life sciences, biotechnology, information technology, environmental technology, oil and gas, mining, and equipment and services.
"We want to encourage our private sector to embrace Brazil," Valcourt said.
"When you look at Brazil, which represents more than half of South America, in terms of geographical area, population and economy, it is an important player and ACOA and the Canadian government's overarching objective is to proactively and creatively engage with this economic powerhouse to secure future prosperity in Canada and to ensure our global competitiveness," he said.
Mark Mackenzie, director of sales and marketing for Fredericton-based Green Imaging Technologies Inc., a software company that deals extensively in the oil and gas industry, is starting to explore Brazil's potential.
"We see (Brazil) as one of our biggest growth potentials," he said. "There are a lot of people in some of the research institutes and some of companies in Brazil that are doing some of the analysis our software is used for."
Mackenzie said that the company has a Brazilian partner that could make six or seven sales in the country soon.
"It could be a big chunk of our market in the next year or two."
