Fibra launches project to support the internationalization of industries in the DF

Details

Published: Monday, 01 April 2024 12:08

The Federation of Industries of the Federal District (Fibra), through the DF International Business Center (CIN-DF), launches this Tuesday, April 2, at 6:30 pm, at Sesi Lab, Exporta DF. The project’s main objective is to facilitate the entry of micro and small companies into the international market.

Exporta DF is a partnership between the Federation and ApexBrasil, the Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses in the DF (Sebrae-DF), the Bank of Brasília (BRB), the Catholic University of Brasília (UCB), the Secretariat for Relations of the Federal District, the Post Office and the National Confederation of Industry (CNI). The first cycle of the project has support from the DF Clothing Industries Union (Sindiveste-DF) and will serve companies in the sector.

Under the coordination of CIN-DF — the Fibra area that supports companies in their internationalization processes —, the project is structured in a three-step path: guide, adapt and connect. The idea is that participating industries reach the end of the journey with autonomy and security to do business with other countries.

“On this path, the company will go through a series of training to become ready and, at the end, we will participate in a business fair, so that it can have the business experience itself”, details the director of CIN-DF, Paulo Eduardo Montenegro de Ávilla e Silva.

Schedule
The Exporta DF launch event has free entry, limited to Sesi Lab’s audience capacity, and tickets can be collected at the link bit.ly/exportadf2024.

Two panels will be presented. The first will detail the Exporta DF track and the second will be about the Micro and Small Industries Competitiveness Support Program (Procompi), an initiative by CNI and Sebrae focused on promoting innovation and increasing the productivity of micro and small companies of the industrial sector.

Afterwards, businesswoman Luiza Márcia Barcelos, style director of the Luiza Barcelos brand, will talk about the history of the company, a national reference in the footwear sector. Experienced in the foreign market, the brand exports to 15 countries in Central, North and South America, Africa, Europe and the Middle East, with destinations such as the United States, the United Arab Emirates and Italy.

A parade of 14 brands from the DF clothing sector will close the event, with the presentation of casual fashion pieces, fitness and beach, as well as jewelry and accessories.

Exports from DF
According to data from the Foreign Trade Secretariat of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, the DF exported US$367 million in 2023 — growth of 2% compared to 2022 — to markets such as China, Saudi Arabia and Japan. The main exported product by the Federal District is frozen poultry meat, which represents 59% of what was sold to the foreign market last year.

According to data from the ministry, 89 companies from the Federal District exported in 2022, 48% of which were medium and large, 35% micro-enterprises or individual micro-entrepreneurs and 17% small-sized companies.

“The DF industry is made up, for the most part, of micro and small companies, which produce with high quality and which are fully capable of selling their products to markets outside Brazil”, says the president of Fibra, Jamal Jorge Bittar. “Exporta DF will be carried out by a group of institutions with extreme competence in commercial intelligence and foreign trade, a factor that will bring security to businesspeople who are considering exporting, but who have doubts about the viability of business expansion.”

Barriers to export
The Main Barriers to DF Exports survey, carried out by CIN-DF in the first quarter of 2023, showed that, of the 97 companies interviewed, 71% had never exported. Of this group, 65% intended to export.

Of the obstacles to exports, the highlight was the impact of bureaucracy on the process, with 64 indications. Businesspeople listed difficulties such as the excess and complexity of necessary documents and the lack of clarity in customs procedures for dispatching and releasing cargo.

Subsequently, 57 interviewees indicated a lack of knowledge to access foreign markets, with difficulties in identifying tariff and non-tariff barriers or commercial agreements and treaties that can bring benefits to exports.

“Micro and small companies have a very lean administrative structure, with the owner performing several functions. Exporta DF has the role of supporting this businessman, who, without support, ends up giving up the foreign market and closing an important door for the business”, says the president of Fibra.

Service
Launch of Exporta DF
April 2nd, at 6:30 pm
Sesi Lab, next to the Plano Piloto Bus Station

The event is free, open to anyone interested in the topic, with the number of tickets limited to the space’s capacity.

Tickets at Sympla: bit.ly/exportadf2024