Copper: a rising Brazilian potential
Copper ore has been in the hands of humanity since 8000 BC. In Brazil, the indigenous people were already using copper to create tools such as hatchets, as the metal existed in its natural state in the basalts of the Paraná Basin. Despite already being very valuable in the past, the importance and value of this ore has grown exponentially in the last few decades, especially with recent advances in technology, which has started to demand copper as one of the fundamental materials in the construction of electronic circuits. Today, the copper market is highly profitable, and Brazil has a high potential to succeed in it. With actions such as the Salobo Project by Companhia Vale do Rio Doce, the Brazilian copper scenario is proving to be advantageous.
Copper is on the rise in exports from Brazil, being in the top 20 most profitable NCMs
Used in the construction of various electronics, copper wires, pipes and many other applications, copper is among the top 20 most profitable NCMs in Brazil in the year 2021, having invoiced about 1.5 billion dollars between the months of January and September, as stated by the ComexStat website. In addition, the Brazilian market has shown an increase in copper exports, as in the year 2017, for example, when the export of ore grew 11%, surpassing the mark of 1 million tons exported, according to the NMB.
Asian market imports high amounts of ore
Looking beyond Brazil, it is possible to see many international markets that are major importers of the product, being ideal for an internationalization of copper. According to the Observatory of Economic Complexity, the biggest buyers of the metal are in Asia, with the three biggest importers in the region being China, Japan and South Korea, which combined import a total of US$43 billion of the product each year. question. This is because these countries are giants in the electronics export scene, and to sustain this position, a large amount of copper is needed for the production of systems and circuits. But in addition to Asia, other promising countries to receive copper are Bulgaria and Germany, which import 1.97 billion and 1.84 billion dollars of the material, respectively.
Domestic market and Brazilian copper production are expanding
In short, copper is a material whose characteristics of high conductivity, heat resistance, resistance to bacteria and oxidation, etc. make it fundamental in the construction of electronics or equipment such as clocks and pipes. The main markets to which this product can be exported are the three aforementioned Asian technology producers. However, better research and global market perspective is needed to define the strategy needed to internationalize the ore. Fortunately, services such as analysis and market identification, both services offered by Prisma, can be very effective in these tasks.
By: Henrique Rodrigues Padovese on 09/17/2022
Sources: