Located in the Midwest region, the state of Mato Grosso do Sul contributed, in 2008, with 1.1% to the Brazilian Gross Domestic Product (GDP). At the regional level, its participation was 11.9%, being the smallest among the federative units of the Midwest. However, the state has been showing the highest economic growth in the region.
The composition of the GDP of Mato Grosso do Sul is as follows:
Agriculture – 15.8%.
Industry – 16.7%.
Services – 67.5%.
Agriculture is an element of fundamental importance for the state economy, as it drives the industrial and service sector. Agriculture is based on the cultivation of rice, coffee, wheat, corn, beans, cassava, cotton, peanuts, sugarcane and, mainly, soy, a product of which the state is one of the largest producers of Brazil.
In livestock, Mato Grosso do Sul has the largest cattle herd in the country. Currently, the state is the second largest exporter of beef in Brazil. There are also herds of horses (horses), donkeys (donkeys, donkeys) and mules (mules).
Mato Grosso do Sul also has significant deposits of iron, manganese, limestone, marble and tin, with emphasis on the Urucum massif, where there is an expressive deposit of iron ore and manganese.
The state has been showing an intense industrialization process. As in most states in Brazil, Mato Grosso do Sul grants tax incentives for the installation of industries. The results of this policy are satisfactory - the contribution of the industrial sector to the state's economy rose from 13% in 1990 to 15.8% in 2007.
The main segments are food, textile, steel and chemical, which are installed in four large industrial centers:
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Campo Grade – highlights include slaughterhouses, tanneries, dairy and furniture industries;
Dourados – presents bran, alcohol, sugar and textile industries;
Corumbá – an industrial hub for minerals and limestone, cement and shipyards;
Três Lagoas – is diversifying every year, however, the main highlights are ceramics, tanneries, dairy products and beverages.
Another element of fundamental importance for the state economy is tourism, especially ecological tourism promoted in the Pantanal and in the city of Bonito.
Mato Grosso do Sul export and import data:
Export: 2.1 billion dollars:
Soybeans and derivatives: 35%.
Beef: 18%.
Poultry meat: 12%.
Iron ore: 11%.
Cast iron: 4%.
Others: 20%.
Import: 3.7 billion dollars:
Natural gas: 73%.
Yarns and fabrics: 7%.
Cathodes and other copper products: 5%.
Fertilizers and fertilizers: 5%.
Food: 4%.
Others: 6%.
By Wagner de Cerqueira and Francisco
Graduated in Geography
