Panel SA: Alckmin needs to be quick because business is on hold, says industry representative

At the MDIC (industry ministry), deputy Geraldo Alckmin will have to hurry to show guidelines because businessmen are currently on hold, says José Ricardo Roriz, president of Abiplast (association of the plastics sector).

Roriz, who tried to run for president of Fiesp in the last election, says that the movement against the current president of the entity, Josué Gomes, is absurd and puts the credibility of the federation at risk at a time when it needs to interact with the government for reindustrialization.

THE Alckmin’s choice for the MDIC came after the government tried unsuccessfully to invite businessmen to the post. Is it seen as plan B in the sector?The industry must have no side. The objective is to invest in profitable businesses, development, create good jobs. Entrepreneurs are afraid of entering an unknown environment where they do not know what the guidelines and priorities are. There was talk of reindustrializing Brazil several times.

We already have the diagnosis. We know that the cost of producing in Brazil is higher, which needs tax reform. Investment occurs when there is a prospect of growth, and the role of those in charge of the MDIC is to create attractiveness and a favorable business environment. And this environment, so far, no one knows.

It was not discussed in the campaign. You are talking about changes. This leaves the entrepreneur on hold until he knows the impact of these changes on the business. This can delay or speed up a reindustrialization process.

Another concern is fiscal responsibility, which in the Lula administrations was great, the economy did well, but interest rates were high and the real appreciated. Those who captured the growth on that occasion were the countries that compete with Brazil. There was a flood of imports.

Another concern of the entrepreneur is war and pandemic. These changes had an impact on the supply chain and consumption. Brazil needs modernization, greater trade, more fluid trade, synergies with innovation with other countries. Who will be our partners? What are we going to prioritize?

But were there more names in the industry that could be called out?The name is perhaps not the most important thing, but the convergence of priorities aimed at reindustrializing Brazil. You can build a convergence around a name as long as you say what you are going to do. It’s no use having a super well-accepted name if it doesn’t come out quickly with the guidelines, otherwise it delays the process and everyone is on hold.

Regarding Alckmin, there is no restriction. He comes from an industrialized state, has the ability to deal with difficult environments and the ability to converge. But it needs to be fast. Success depends on how it will be forwarded in the coming months.

It was said in the industry that the MDIC lost attractiveness when the BNDES command was announced earlier with Mercadante, signaling the bank’s empowerment in front of the portfolio🇧🇷 This could have happened in relation to having a manager at MDIC, but from the moment it was defined that it would be Alckmin, I think that this concern no longer exists. As vice president, he is a person who is also very close to the president.

What are the first topics that the industry should take to the MDIC?With today’s interest rates, medium and small companies practically lost their investment capacity to buy new equipment, innovation, etc. What will be the role with regard to financing to debottleneck, increase capacity, invest in research, etc. in a scenario of interest rates as we have today.

What will be the priorities regarding trade agreements? Are we going to make agreements that favor adding value to our product or simply make agreements to increase the flow? Will trade opening be synchronized with the reduction in the Brazil cost or will it be unilateral?

It needs to be part of global production chains and has strategic production chains. It was proven in the pandemic, for example, with the microchip, that countries were left without production. Another thing is regulatory frameworks, which have advanced in recent years. Will any be modified? How and when? Legal uncertainty is a factor that has an impact.

Fiesp is experiencing a rift under the Josué administration. Mr. signed the document to address the claims against him?I didn’t sign and I think it’s absurd to create a situation like that, which puts Fiesp’s credibility at risk. If there is a management problem, it has to do with the president what can be improved. But a kind of petition is like a clique wanting to define what is good or bad for the industry.

Fiesp is bigger than the unions it represents. It plays an important role in the direction of the industry. Doing this kind of thing is bad for the unions, for Fiesp and it shows that industrial representation needs to be remodeled.

Mr. tried to run for the presidency of Fiesp in the election against Josué. Will you be a candidate next time?Our role now cannot be anything other than bringing proposals, interacting with the government to reindustrialize the country and making Fiesp an agent for construction, proposals, criticisms and analyzes that help speed up the process. We have a president elected a year ago. It makes no sense to discuss this now.

X-ray

President of Abiplast (Brazilian Plastic Industry Association) and Sindiplast (Plastic Industry Union), he also held the presidency of Fiesp and Ciesp in 2018, when the then president of the institution, Paulo Skaf, left to run for the Government of State of São Paulo that year.