Tocantins receives R$1.5 billion in private investment and creates 8.6 thousand new jobs

The investments made by the Government of Tocantins, through the State Secretariat for Industry, Commerce and Services (Sics), in modernizing and expanding infrastructure, granting tax incentives and guaranteeing legal security, have generated results for Tocantins that, since 2022, it has been attracting large investors. From fertilizers to mining, nine industries have already made public their significant investments in the state.

In the first week of April, the online retailer Shopee opened a hub logistics in Palmas. The unit is the second installed in the northern region of the country and aims to bring sellers and buyers closer together, optimizing the delivery process. The implementation of the hub will contribute to the economic strengthening of the region, as highlighted by the head of Logistics Expansion Shopee, Rafael Flores. “We want to further boost the local economy, generating jobs and opportunities for partners,” he said.

A Shopee, however, is not the only large company to find Tocantins as a destination to expand its business. Only in April, the implementation of a Gazin mattress factory in Araguatins was announced; and the expansion of the slaughter structure at the Masterboi slaughterhouse, in Nova Olinda. Together, the two projects will be responsible for generating more than 700 direct jobs.

Other companies that are in the implementation phase in the state are the fertilizer industries Mosaic and Fertipar; the mining companies Serra Alta, Riomar and Bolt, and Pérola Maranhense, which works with rice processing. In addition to Minercal, in the limestone and dolomite extraction sector, which announced that it will reinvest in its unit in Tocantins.

“Our role is to ensure the proper functioning of the productive sectors, so that more investors feel safe in investing in Tocantins. Modernize and expand our infrastructure, ensure competitiveness and provide the legal security necessary for these entrepreneurs to see a promising future in our state. Everything is done with the return for the population in mind, no investment is made that is not expected to generate employment and income for the people of Tocantins”, emphasizes governor Wanderlei Barbosa.

Investment attraction policy

The Industry, Commerce and Services Boosting Program (Pics) was created in 2022 and aims to promote the socioeconomic development of Tocantins. The Secretary of State for Industry, Commerce and Services, Carlos Humberto Lima, highlights that the program operates on several fronts. “Pics is a strategic program that aims to create an attractive and competitive environment for investors, with investments in the creation of Industrial Districts and modernization of existing ones, creation of public policies for the qualification of labor, innovation and technology, and tax benefits”, explains the secretary, reinforcing that Tocantins is located in a privileged position, as it borders several other states. “This makes clear the need for a modern and functional infrastructure and logistics project”, points out the manager.

Pics, despite being recent, is already showing signs in the economy. In 2023, Tocantins recorded the biggest reduction in the unemployment rate in the country (from 15% to 5.8%) and the economy that grew the most at 11.4%, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE).

From 2022 to date, 98 industries have announced investments in Tocantins. This represents the creation of more than 8,600 new jobs and the injection of almost R$1.5 billion into the Tocantins economy.