Brazil
BrazilBrazilian 2008 farm exports up 23%, total 71.9 billion
Brazilian farm exports totalled a record 71.9 billion US dollars in 2008, up 23% over 2007, according to the latest reports from the Ministry of Agriculture. Farm exports also reported a surplus of 60 billion US dollars last year while agro-business represented 36.3% of all of the country's shipments.
Abundant rainfall “shrinks” Brazil's Bolivian gas demand
Brazil will temporarily shut down power plants fired by natural gas from Bolivia and will reduce imports of the Bolivian fuel through the end of April, announced Mines and Energy mister Edison Lobao.
Brazil exported 620.000 bpd of crude last December
Brazilian state oil company Petrobras exported in December an average of 620,000 barrels of crude per day, establishing a new record.
Lula da Silva warns Brazilians of “tough” first quarter
Brazilian president Lula da Silva warned of a “worrisome and tough” first quarter but promised the government is prepared to inject more resources to the economy to help combat the effects of the global crisis and stimulate activity.
Rio Tinto freezes Corumba iron ore development in Brazil
In response to the collapse of commodity prices and demand giant Australian-UK minerals corporation Rio Tinto announced the postponement of one of its key iron ore expansion projects, the 2.15 billion US dollars Corumba mine in the heartland of Brazil.
Brazil's capital readies for the fiftieth anniversary in 2010
Brazil's greatest living architect Oscar Niemeyer has presented the blueprint for a new project, “The Sovereignty Plaza” to be built next to the Ministries esplanade in Brasilia. The official opening is scheduled for April 21st, 2010 when the capital city he designed will be celebrating half a century.
Brazil plans internet access for 26% of the population
Brazil has 43 million Internet users, according to Ibope/NetRatings statistics for the year 2008 published in the business daily Valor. The number of cybernauts could be even greater since the statistics included only people over 16 with Web access from home, workplaces, schools, libraries and Internet cafes, the newspaper said.
Plan to encircle Rio's favelas triggers controversy
Plans to surround a Rio de Janeiro favela (slum) with a 650-metre-long concrete barrier have come under fire from environmentalists, human rights activists and residents who describe it as “discriminatory” and in the best “Gaza wall” style.
Brazil in “technical recession”; industrial output down 6.2%
Yet another bank cut the 2009 economic growth forecast for Brazil: JPMorgan Chase & Co. downed Latinamerica's largest economy expansion estimate for this year from 2% to 1.5%, as global recession takes its toll on industrial production and business confidence.
Brazil expects lower corn and soy crop because of drought
Brazil's crops of corn and soybean has been downgraded from previous forecasts because of the persistent drought in the southern states, said on Thursday the country's Ministry of Agriculture.
