International Partnerships and Opportunities in Cuiabá and Mato Grosso

Interview with Mauro Mendes, Mayor of Cuiabá and Owner of Bimetal Indústria Metalúrgica

Let’s talk about Mato Grosso and Cuiabá. Can you tell us about the main projects that you have for the city, especially in terms of collaborating with international partners or participating in exchanges?

Mato Grosso is one of the most important producers of grains in the whole of Brazil. Our challenge is to continue preserving the great diversity here in Mato Grosso, as the state is really important for the country’s economy particularly within the context of the Amazonian economy.

Producing food will increasingly become more of a challenge for the world as populations grow. By 2050 the world population is estimated to reach 9 billion. Therefore in the future the food industry will be a much more important part of the economy. Our challenge is to work hard to be able to make the most of this new world era.

Mato Grosso and Cuiabá have the right conditions with the help of investments from all sorts of businesses related to the food industry to really become a world example, leading the way into the new globalised era of food production.

Cuiabá was chosen to be one of the host cities for the Football World Cup 2014, what does this event mean for the city?

The World Cup is an event that is watched by more than 2 billion people. That means all these people will be watching Brazil and particularly the host cities. It is a great opportunity, not only to hold these 4 football games but also to be able to show the city’s potential right now and for the future. We are going to make the most of this opportunity to show the world that this state and capital city have excellent possibilities for investment and international partnerships.

What investments would you say Mato Grosso or Cuiabá could benefit from?

The main area that requires investment in Mato Grosso is infrastructure and logistics so that we can increase our competitiveness. We need investment in our railways, ports and in our road transport system. Therefore we need to enter in dialogue with investors regarding infrastructure and logistics. If we can improve our logistics along with investments in our mineral industry, investments to increase our food production and transform our agroindustry, Mato Grosso could become one of the most important regions in the world in terms of production of plant and animal proteins.

How would you say the rest of the country and the world for that matter view Cuiabá and Mato Grosso?

The region of Mato Grosso is certainly viewed as being a centre for agriculture, but along with this come many environmental challenges. We are known as a region that has large preservation areas with very important ecosystems. The challenge we have is to become a world example of sustainable development and environment protection.

What is your strategy to be able to strike the balance between economic development and protecting the environment?

I think it is important to show that nearly 70% of our state territory is still preserved and remains as it was discovered over 500 years ago. We need to show that we are using modern practices to recover many of the constructions that were built during colonisation. We need to show that we are building a truly sustainable economy here. We are producing food and generating money and resources for economic and social development. We want to show all of the preservation work that is done here not only of the environment but of the cities here too.

As a businessman yourself can you tell us a bit about how your own experience has helped you as mayor?

A great challenge as mayor is bringing together all the business concepts of management, speed, planning and keeping the objective in focus to achieve results. We have legal parameters and limitations but I have to use all these ideas and establish a working rhythm to be able to get results and make the public sector an accelerator for development and not an obstacle, which can and does often happen in developing countries.

What are the great challenges you have to face and in what way could a potential investor or businessman help you in this task?

My greatest challenge is negotiating between the demand for investment in our region and city, in terms of investments in infrastructure, improving the quality of life in the cities, investments in social policies, etc. and the limited resources that we have available. Brazil has accumulated a great need for investment in infrastructure and we don’t have the resources to make the necessary improvements. We have to use the resources that we have sensibly and make sure that they reach the areas that need investment. We also have to make sure we can guarantee continuity of growth for our city and the state.

What would be your message for potential foreigner investors?

Brazil has become a country of business opportunities in the world. Within Brazil, Mato Grosso is considered ‘the state of opportunities’, with excellent growth and a focused economy that has essentially sustained the Brazilian trade balance over the last few decades. It is a state that offers many opportunities in diverse areas. There are still difficulties and challenges but it really is a land of opportunities, for all sort of businesses whether in the food industry, the mineral industry or otherwise. In my opinion, Mato Grosso is one of the states in Brazil that offers some of the best opportunities for investment and growth over the decades to come.