Confidence in the opportunities the country offers to foreign investors set the tone of the panel "Investing in Brazil", part of the Brasil Investment Forum 2017, which takes place on May 30-31 in São Paulo.

Entrepreneurs from various sectors whose companies enjoy decades-long presence in Brazil reinforced their focus on the long term as the driver of their investment decisions. The head of Fiat Chrysler for Latin America, Stefan Ketter, took the opportunity to make an invitation to all participants: "Everybody knows that investments must be anti-cyclical. If we want to join in the next cycle of Brazilian growth, this is the time to invest," said the executive, who heads the company's 150 plants worldwide.

”Brazil continues to consolidate itself every day as a particularly attractive country [for investments]," said Roberto Jaguaribe, president of the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). He reported that the country has already recorded US$ 30 billion in new foreign investment in the first months of 2017, and is expected to close the year among the top five countries with the highest levels of FDI attraction.

"We have opportunities in agribusiness, in the oil sector and in a number of other areas. There is a greater convergence of trade instruments, not only towards bringing the world to Brazil but also towards taking Brazil to the world, despite the turbulences we have faced in the last two years," said the Apex president.

Keffer recalled the company's long history in the country and mentioned its recent $10 billion investment in a factory in the state of Pernambuco. "Many have questioned this investment, but today the plant is the best we have in the world and creates 13,000 jobs," he praised. "Brazil is part of the DNA of the Fiat Chrysler conglomerate.”

Siemens, which has had businesses in Brazil for over 150 years, is "prepared" for its next major investment cycle and will double activities over the next few years, said Paulo Ricardo Stark, CEO of Siemens Brazil. According to Stark, those with experience in investing in the country have no doubt that there is demand and opportunities for investments. He warned, however, that ensuring that investments already made are resumed or sustained is as important as attracting new projects. "It's a country that has a de facto democracy, a big domestic market, a fertile soil, mineral wealth and a strategic geographic position for the Americas.”

The Siemens executive added that Brazil has a complex tax system and labour legislation, and praised the focus on the ongoing reforms. "It is with great happiness that we see the government focused on resolving labour litigation issues. There is a concentration of taxes on industrial activity that should also go through this re-assessment," he said.

Anglo American Brazil CEO, Ruben Fernandes, praised the way Brazilians face their crises. The "speed at which it can reverse crises and look for results" is very healthy, the executive said. Specifically regarding Anglo American's sector, i.e. mining, he praised the work the government has been doing to revamp the regulatory framework in order to attract investment. "Mining is one of the pillars of this country, since it supports other investments," he said, noting that investment decisions in this sector are always long-term. "A momentary political instability is never relevant; investors look to the future. So, the existing wealth of the country, the change in the regulatory framework and the growing demand counts for much more. And the company believes in the future of Brazil for all of these reasons."

AGRIBUSINESS

Bayer's Director of Commercial Operations, Marc Reichart, sees the current moment of the country with great optimism, and praised the productivity increase Brazilian agribusiness has achieved in recent decades. "The productivity gains we have seen in Brazil have not been seen in any other country," said the executive. The message was reinforced by Sean Kidney, CEO of the Climate Change Initiative, which urged the government and producers to build confidence in Brazilian agriculture and to involve international financial capital in sustainable agribusiness initiatives. "We need sustainable agriculture to protect the soil," he warned.

Reichart drew attention to the need to move forward, and proposed the development of a regulatory framework that would reduce bureaucracy and expedite the registration of products in the country. "Bayer has been researching new products for ten years. Today, registering a product in Brazil takes eight years, on average. It's a lot of time, especially when pests adapt at a much faster rate", he said.

He praised the reforms implemented recently, especially pension and labour ones, adding that "few countries have had the courage to lead changes of this magnitude." Asked about the impact of political issues on Bayer's plans to invest in Brazil, the executive said the company's projects will not be affected. "For investment decisions, political turbulence will have no impact. We have been in the country for over 120 years, and we will continue to invest, regardless of the political scenario.”