As Gov. Jay Nixon's five-day trade mission to Brazil comes to a close, officials with the state and Missouri State University have signed agreements with Brazilian entities.
State trade agreementThe state of Missouri on Monday signed its first ever trade agreement with the
state of São Paulo, the most populous Brazilian state.
The agreement between the Missouri Department of Economic Development and the International Affairs Office of the state of São Paulo calls for the two states to expand exports; promote economic growth and educational, research and cultural exchanges; and share best practices in education, science and technology, and public safety, according to a news release.
"When we look for opportunities to sell more Missouri-made goods overseas, Brazil is one of the most important emerging markets in the world," Nixon said in the release. "Already, Brazil is one of Missouri’s Top 10 export markets, and we see tremendous potential to expand our sales to Brazil in the years to come. This agreement is a major step forward for Missouri businesses with one of the world’s fastest-growing markets.”
Brazil was Missouri's 10th-largest export market in 2011, with more than $320 million of Missouri goods and products shipped to Brazilian customers.
In the release, the DED noted that total Missouri exports are up 17.1 percent to $2.5 billion for the first two months of 2012 compared to the same period last year.
MSU agreementsYesterday, MSU officials signed two exchange and collaboration agreements with two Brazilian universities - the State University of Maringa, a public intuition, and the Pontifical Catholic University of São Paulo, a private college.
The agreements are designed to facilitate student exchanges, faculty, research and other partnerships between the colleges, according to a separate news release.
“These agreements will help ensure that more Missouri students are prepared to compete in the global economy of the 21st century,” Nixon said in the release. "I commend Missouri State University for leading the way in building these bridges, and my administration will work with other Missouri colleges and universities to help promote these mutually beneficial exchanges.”
During a meeting with Nixon, senior leaders of the Federation of Brazilian Industries in São Paulo expressed interest in collaborating on higher-education issues and specialized worker training as part of the agreements. Missouri also could be included in Science Without Borders, a Brazilian initiative that calls for 100,000 Brazilian scholarship students to study science and technology at colleges and universities in other countries, with more than 50,000 earmarked to visit the U.S., the release said.
The trade mission to Brazil ends today, and Nixon will be returning to Missouri tomorrow morning. The trip also includes representatives from Boeing, Monsanto, Orscheln Products, Solae, Herzog Contracting Corp., Ungerboeck Systems International, SCD Probiotics, Infinite Energy Construction, Wilson Manufacturing, HTS Technologies, Worldwide Recycling Equipment, Diva Maker and Sunset Transportation.
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