The Strategic Plan of Industrial Development of Maranhão indicates the way to be followed by the society of Maranhão, mainly the entrepreneurs with the objective of accomplishing changes that will result in the industrial development of the State. The document delineates an articulate group of actions that the Federation of the Industries of the State of Maranhão (FIEMA) considers able to promote a wide and deep reorientation of the economy as a whole, in the sense to intensify the competitive advantages materialized in the availability of natural resources and of infrastructure and logistics on behalf of the real development.
A FIEMA initiative, the Plan was structured in 2003 in partnership with the several actors of the state system - authorities and technicians of the Government of the State, political and business leaderships, expressive representatives of the productive section and of the organized society that, together, indicated a vision of desirable future in the 17 following years, at the same time that defined the politics, strategies and necessary actions to make it real.
The industrial development of Maranhão depends strongly on investment decisions: of the government and of the society, with the objective of enlarging the systemic competitiveness of the State; and of the business community, local, national and worldwide, in order to condensate the productive chains for which the State has vocation, joining value to the State production. Those two fundamental sides for the development demand the construction of a development pact involving entrepreneurs and Government, whose action constitutes the real factor of development of Maranhão, with the industry exercising an essential role.
Jorge Machado Mendes
President of FIEMA
With the retaking of the growth and the enlargement of the investments and of the social and regional politics in the Country, Maranhão tends to incorporate social and development politics, partially also as a result of a change in the posture of the business community, that begins to mobilize itself and to take independent economical initiatives. That process will be enlarged as private and public investments are made, especially in the industry and in the social area.
With the growth of the income and of the job, Maranhão internal market enlargement and diversification tend to happen. As a result of the new investments and business initiatives, Maranhão will present in the following years a consolidation of the competitiveness and a moderate condensation of productive chains.
The competitiveness is no more a specific condition of a sector or isolated company. It depends more and more on the general characteristics that create an atmosphere of collective and systemic efficiency which depends on the volume and of the quality of the economical infrastructure, the education level and labor qualification, of the scientific and technological capacity, besides the creativity and innovative consciousness of a region, being also influenced by the institutional system and by the regulation of the economical and social relationships.
To enlarge the conditions of competitiveness investments without direct financial return are necessary, what confers to the State a central paper in the construction of the systemic competitiveness of the region without, however, abstracting the cooperation and the collaboration of the social actors, especially the business community, main innovative force of the economy.
The development of the industry of Maranhão should result in economical growth; enlargement and diversification of the industry, with consolidation of productive chains and value aggregation; consolidation and increase of exports; enlargement and increment of the state and regional internal market. The two main development axes - enlargement of the systemic competitiveness and increment of the productive chains - are unfolded in 14 strategic vectors and these vectors are unfolded in 59 projects of which 20 were considered priority and are being executed through several partnerships.
The implantation of those projects, already in process, goes by the following initiatives and mechanisms: formation of a development pact between the government and the business community; to make operational an active industrial politics of the Government of the State; united negotiation (Government and entrepreneurs) with external partners, and formation of social capital and invigoration of the associations and cooperation of the business community of Maranhão.
The industrial development of Maranhão strategy is guided by a future vision characterized by the expectation of the society for an accelerated process of industrialization and indicates an articulated group of actions for the construction of this future.
The future desired by the entrepreneurs for the industry of Maranhão combines a high systemic competitiveness of the economy of the state with a wide consolidation of the productive chains, increasing value aggregation of products and central segments of the economy of the state.
On the other hand, this future considers the enlargement of the internal market in the state and presupposes an important change in the economical, social and environmental reality, even as a condition for the improvement of the economical competitiveness of Maranhão.
Maranhão has economical infrastructure (port, highways, railroads and waterways); strategic geographical position (especially for exportation); wide basis of natural resources (lands, climate, water resources, etc.); existence of a mine-metallurgist's complex, strong agricultural base and the integration with the external market as attractions for new investments. Concerning the best opportunities of businesses, the market of Maranhão points to safe investments in the mine-metallurgist sectors; tourism, infrastructure, agriculture and agribusiness; livestock industry, leather and fish farming. Come to know the potentialities of Maranhão, because the future is here.