Governor and delegation from Missouri narrow partnership with the State of São Paulo
Strengthening the relationships in the industrial, agribusiness and science and technology areas was the purpose of the meeting with Governor Geraldo Alckmin; the Secretary Paulo Alexandre Barbosa and director of Investe SP also attended the meeting
Governor Geraldo Alckmin received on Monday, April 16, at Palácio dos Bandeirantes, the Governor of Missouri, Jay Nixon, and a delegation of government members, the U.S. Consul General in São Paulo, William Popp, and the President of Boing Brasil, Donna Hrinak.
“I have no doubt that the visit of the Governor of Missouri and his entourage will strengthen our ties and our partnership in business, thus creating new opportunities,” said Alckmin. The Governor spoke about the importance of Boeing and Monsanto, both based in Saint Louis, Missouri’s largest metropolitan area.
Monsanto is a leading biotechnology company and the one with the largest number of patents on GM crops in the world. Boeing is the world leader in commercial aviation involving aircrafts with 130 seats. During the meeting, the president of Boeing emphasized that the company will install a research and technology center in São Paulo, besides mentioning the two recently signed cooperation agreements with the Brazilian company Embraer: one for the cooperation in projects aimed at improving the efficiency of aircrafts and research into new technologies; and another signed in conjunction with the Research Foundation of the State of São Paulo (FAPESP) for the development of a biofuels program for aviation.
“Through the Department of Economic Development, Science and Technology of Investe São Paulo and the International Advisory Board, we want our state to be fully available to the State of Missouri,” said Alckmin. The meeting was also attended by the secretary Paulo Alexandre Barbosa; the Director of Institutional and International Relations of Investe SP, Sérgio Costa; and the special advisor for International Affairs, Rodrigo Tavares.
“We believe that Brazil, especially the state of São Paulo, has excellent opportunities for the growth of our bilateral relations,” said Nixon.
The governor of São Paulo said that the United States is a great example to the world, because it is managing to face the crisis. Nixon mentioned the evolution of the Missouri in the rate that assesses the creation of new businesses. “Before, we occupied the 46th position in the U.S. ranking that measures the rate of creation of new businesses; then we moved to the 25th position and now we are in 6th place,” he said.
Alckmin closed the meeting saying that he envisions three possible fronts for the partnership between the states: science and technology, agribusiness and industry.