ISSN 2526-1746

JOURNAL OF
GEOESPATIAL MODELLING

BRAZILIAN EXPORTS: TOCANTINS EXPORT CHALLENGES

Denise França dos Santos1, Ricardo Niehues Buss1*, Francis Barbosa Sanches1, Daniel Martins da
Silva1
1Federal University of Tocantins, UFT - Logistics Tecnology Course. Araguaína/TO, Brazil.
*Corresponding author: rnbuss@gmail.com

Key-words: Exports; ABSTRACT

Infrastructure; Development This article aims to discuss Brazilian exports, emphasizing the export profile of the
Factors. Tocantins and its position regarding other states, generally highlighting the main export
markets and products. Another intent is to emphasize its infrastructure, which is one of the
main relevant factors to international competitiveness, as well as to describe the
governmental development actions for the development of the newest Brazilian state. The
importance of this work concretizes by the fact that the export activity is of great relevance
for the country's growth. That is the reason a descriptive, quantitative and qualitative
research of bibliographic and documentary procedure was chosen, in order to contribute
to the deepening of the approach in the subject and the addition of relevant documents, in
order to promote the attention to the state and emphasize the development importance to
export. In general, the work points out as the main exported product, the soybean complex,
and as the main exporter, the municipality of Campos Lindos, having Asia as the main
export destination of the State.

INTRODUCTION is more advantageous than producing in its

domestic market.
In view of the significant importance of
Despite all the efforts made over the years by
increasing the market parcel, the companies in
the government through actions, policies and
general, mainly the large ones, turned to export
economic agreements to promote exports and
activity, with the purpose of increasing profits,
involve the entrepreneurs in both large and small
promoting their products and brands and reducing
businesses, significant advances are still needed to
risks as oscillations in the market and seasonality.
develop this activity in the country, which according
According to VAZQUEZ (2009), export is a
to the Ministry of Development, Industry and
requirement of the national economic policy, which
Foreign Trade - MDIC (2014), is still derisory, being
attends both the exporting trader and the nation
that the parcel of the external market from 2004 to
that imports its products for the reason of buying
2013 did not exceed 1.44 %, and not even get to 15
what it does not produce domestically, or because it
% of GDP. Already at the state level, the

Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27

participation in exports is also not promising,
highlighting few states such as São Paulo, Minas
Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro.
The participation of the export activity in
Tocantins is only 0.38 %, occupying the 18th place
in the Brazilian ranking, being ahead of nine states,
making it necessary to analyze the factors that
influence the growth of the state's exports, such as
transportation infrastructure, the municipalities of
highest potential, numbers of companies operating
in the foreign market, product patterns, the main
destination markets and their natural wealth that
are considered strategic for the subject approached.
Thus the general aim of the study is to
understand the export profile of Tocantins,
presenting subsidies that may improve
development in exports. In order to achieve the aim,
it is necessary to identify the development factors of
exports; to describe the transport infrastructure in
the Tocantins; to present the main products
exported by the State and to analyze which are the
Tocantins' municipalities that export most and their
main markets.
In this regard, any and all contributions in
order to promote greater conditions to boost this
activity are extremely important and valid. The
generation of regional knowledge about the existing
potential and those that may be exploited by the
government and the entrepreneurs may leverage
even more the exports in the region.
In order to answer these questions, the study
begins by presenting the historical aspects of
exports in Brazil, followed by the concepts of export
and the indispensable factors of development and
generation of competitiveness, instituted as the
necessary pillars for the country's development,
besides the governmental incentives to leverage
exports. Following is indicated the methodology
used, which was based on a descriptive,
bibliographical and documentary research, using
the government statistics for data analysis. Next, the
export profile of Tocantins is analyzed, through the
results obtained in relation to the factors that
influence the growth of exports, examining the
municipalities of the highest potential state.
BRAZILIAN EXPORTS
Export is a great strategic activity because it
significantly favors the generation of employment
and income, the foreign exchange, which makes it
its
possible to pay off external debts and stabilizes the
country's economy, contributing to its growth. In
addition, reaching out to foreign markets reduces
the risks of seasonality and eliminates the total
dependence of companies on a single market. Given
this reality, according to the MIDC (2014), despite
the efforts to leverage Brazilian exports, Brazil had
a decline in its exports in 2014, since exported 7%
less than in the previous year, where it ranked 22nd
of the world exporting countries, with China as the
first and the US second.
The export activity has always presented
barriers and a great factor of global
competitiveness, over the years several actions
have been planned to leverage Brazilian exports,
however it still takes a lot of effort, by private
organizations and mainly the government to
increase the external market, which is still
considered derisory in world exports,
corresponding only 1.33% in the year 2013. The

Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27

year 2011 exhibited 1.43% - the largest world 1.08%. Figure 1 exposes the main facts related to
participation from 2004 to 2013, and in contrast, the exports and their evolution over the years in
the year of the smallest participation was 2004 with Brazil.
YEAR EVENT
• Constitution of the Portuguese Court and the beginning of political and economic emancipation.
• Publication of the Royal Charter for opening harbors. And Brazil's independence.
1808-1840 • Main production: coffee, metals, sugar, tobacco, rice, spices and leather.
• Discovery of rubber vulcanization and the highlights for coffee in exports.

• Expansion of International Trade and transport, with steam-powered vessels.

• End of the international slave trade.
1841-1860 • Increase in customs duties and the first positive balance in the balance since Brazil's independence, due to
the growth of coffee exports.

• External borrowing and issuance of treasury bonds to heal war expenses.

1861-1890 • Implantation of railways, transport between production points and harbors.

• The first constitution of the Republic of Brazil and the Entanglement Crisis.
1891-1910 • Consolidation of Brazil as a major rubber producer and beginning of the oil age.

• Main exported products: sugar, cocoa, mate, skins and leather, tobacco, cotton, rubber, and coffee, which
1911-1920 accounts for more than half of exports.
• Agricultural diversification, coffee crisis, and second coffee valorization plan.
• New coffee crisis and third appreciation. And growth in agricultural exports.
1921-1930
• Breakdown of the New York Stock Exchange, affecting the coffee economy in Brazil.
• The crisis of the coffee causes a collapse in the Foreign Trade and the cotton appears as a second most
1931-1950 exported product.
• Increased demand for raw materials and coffee back in the leading position.
• Return of Getúlio Vargas to the power and imbalance of the trade balance.
1951-1960 • The government of J. Kubitschek, agile development, and consolidation of industrialization.
• Campaign for Nationalization of Petroleum and defense of this Brazilian sector.
• Creation of the National Foreign Trade Council, the export financing fund and of the Ministry of Economy,
Finance, and Planning.
1961-1970 • Policy to increase competitiveness, expansion of external markets and diversification of exported products.
• Replacement of imports and a larger share of manufactured products.
• Coffee, cotton, and minerals still are responsible for 70% of exports.
1971-1980 • High and new oil price shock, and end of the economic miracle period.
• Strong recession in Brazil and extinction of government agencies, including CACEX.
1981-1990 • The Foreign Trade Secretariat is designed as the Foreign Trade Department (DECEX) of the Ministry of
Economy, Finance, and Planning.
• The creation of the WTO, Mercosul, Siscomex, DECOM-Commercial Defense, and of the Ministry of Industry,
Trade and Tourism, which took over the foreign trade in the place of the Ministry of Economy, Finance, and
Planning.
• Decex becomes the Secretariat of the new Ministry, with the name of Foreign Trade Secretariat (SECEX).
1991-2008
And the MICT is called (MIDIC).
• Real plan. The first meeting of foreign trade.
• Strengthening Globalization, world trade and export records.
• Active participation in trade and in trade defenses in emerging countries.

Figure 1. History of Brazilian exports.

According to the data presented in Figure 1, responsible for the largest sales to the foreign
which indicate the main facts related to Brazilian market over the years, also highlighting cotton,
foreign trade, emphasizing the scope of exports, it is rubber, and minerals.
identified that coffee has been the product

Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27

 In spite of the actions to diversify the list of
products exported in Brazil, is perceived that the
main products such as: coffee, cotton, rubber,
minerals, sugar, and tobacco continue to be the
productive base of Brazilian exports. The crisis of
coffee and oil generated a great impact on the
country's economy, marking the period from 1971
to 1980 with the end of Brazilian prosperity, which
re-established itself only from the 90's, presenting
positive results with a record of Brazilian exports
between the years of 2001 to 2008, due to the
previous increase of partners and
differentiation of exported products.
The period of 2009, despite having
consolidated with the largest number of exporting
companies, has regressed exports in millions. In the
following years, Brazil remained stable, without
much variation, considering that the year of 2011
presented the greatest highlight in terms of
evolution in millions of exports in the period that
corresponds 2009 to the year 2014.
Comparing the first half of 2014 with the year
2013, Brazil suffered a 3.4% decline in exports due
to the fall in the price index generated by the
recession of the commodities quotation. However,
in volume exports increased 1.4% in relation to
2013, and in that same year, Brazil remains in the
same position in the ranking of the main minerals
exporting countries, occupying the 22nd position,
as in the previous year. (MDIC, 2015).
Also according to MDIC (2015), the main
products exported in Brazil in 2014 were in
descending order: soybean complex (grain, bran
and oil), minerals, oil and fuels, transport material,
meat, chemicals, metallurgical products, sugar and
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
ethanol, machinery and equipment, pulp and paper,
coffee, footwear and leather, electrical equipment,
metals and precious stones and textiles. Comparing
the month of January-February comparing the year
2015 to 2014, there was a 13.1% reduction in the
daily average of exports, being the products that
suffered the most fall were: fuel oils (-52.2), crude
oil (-49.4%), iron mineral (-48.6%) and soybeans (-
19.9%). Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and
the European Union remain as the main destination
blocks.
the
FACTORS OF EXPORT DEVELOPMENT
"Export is the activity that provides the
country's opening to the world." (VAZQUEZ, 2009,
p.181). In other words, globalization allowed
countries to explore other fields and their products
reach new markets through export activity,
increasing their market share and economic gains.
As a result, the number of competing companies has
grown significantly, generating greater
competitiveness among countries.
Yet, despite all market development, there is
need to have deep reforms in management and in
public infrastructure, greater capacity to generate
resources, significant improvements in basic
education, health, and overall improvement.
(TADEU, 2011).
From this perspective, Brazil still needs a lot
of effort to increase its competitiveness. According
to the study Global Competitiveness Report (2015),
a study published by the WEF, Brazil lost another
position in the global ranking of competitiveness,
occupying in 2014 the 57th place, within which are
evaluated different factors of competitiveness of
144 countries.
The Global Competitiveness Report (2015)
also defines the basic pillars for a nation's
competitiveness, such as transport infrastructure,
communication infrastructure, institutions, the
macroeconomic environment, education, and
health. In Brazil these pillars are not high, impairing
the economic growth in the long term and the
exports development. Comparing the global
competitiveness index with the BRICS countries
(Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), China
stands out in the 28th position, followed by Russia -
53rd, Brazil - 57th, India - 71st and South Africa
does not appear in the ranking of the 144 most
competitive countries in the world.
According to DAVID and STEWART (2010,
p.31), "infrastructure is a collective term that refers
to all available elements (of public or private
property) to facilitate transport, the
communications, and the trade."
The transport infrastructure pillar is one that
most compromise the movement of goods from
Brazil to the foreign market, because without a good
infrastructure it is not feasible to export products
with a good competitive cost because it would be
unsatisfactory for the client that the goods arrive
late, damaged and with a high price.
According to the Global Competitiveness
Report (2015), the Brazilian transport
infrastructure occupied the 77th position in 2014,
presenting an unpromising result. The most
unsatisfactory were in the general quality of the
infrastructure in the 120th position, and in the
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
harbors and roads quality - 122º, in the air
transport - 113º, and of the railways - 95º.
Besides the transport infrastructure,
communication infrastructure is also essential for
the proper functioning of operations in any
transaction. However, the different situations
regarding the service provided and the proper
functioning of the media from one country to
another are many, and in some cases unreliable.
Such as interruption of conversation in the
telephone service and lack of signal to dial. In the
postal service's problems of fraud, loss, and
commitment of goods. And on the internet, despite
being a strong communication mean, it is also
vulnerable to traffic compromising. (DAVID and
STEWART, 2010).
In spite of all these factors that can
compromise the relations in the foreign market,
Brazil in the communication aspect provided an
acceptable result, occupying the 37th in the ranking
in mobile phone subscriptions, and the 51st place in
the number of fixed telephone lines. (GLOBAL
COMPETITIVENESS REPORT, 2015).
Still, according to the data presented in the
Global Competitiveness Report (2015), referring to
2014, in the institution's pillar, the country also
does not occupy a prominent position in the 94th
collation. The main causes are the weight of
government regulation in the 143rd position,
government waste - 137th, confidence in politicians
- 140th, government transparency - 128th, misuse
of public resources - 135th and irregular payments
on exports and imports in 72nd place. In addition,
agents related to crime: the cost of violence and
crimes for business - 124, reliability in police
services - 83, and organized crime - 119, leave Brazil
in a position of concern and in s Brazilian
dissatisfaction.
The third pillar highlights the Macroeconomic
Environment of Brazil, whose balance is essential
for business growth. In this pillar, Brazil was in 85th
position in 2014, with a poor development in
factors inflation and gross national savings in the
110th and government gross debt in 109th place.
Despite the poor performance in these respects,
Brazil has performed well in the 38th Credit, being
among the 50 since 2011, and always among the 50
best countries in this topic.
And in the last basic analyzed pillar, being
education and health, Brazil achieved
improvement in its position, reaching the 77th
place in 2014. In education, although the number of
enrollments in primary education is great in the
18th, the quality of education does not have the
same perspective, occupying the 126th place in the
ranking. In the health aspect, it presented relatively
better positions, in relation to education in the 69th,
life expectancy 78th and infant mortality in 65th
place.
According to DE PAULA (2008, p. 9), another
factor that inhibits the development of Brazil is that
the generation that has, today, between 30 and 40
years, were not induced and trained in education to
open and manage their own businesses, but
internalized the prospect of obtaining a position in
a state-owned company or in the public service.
Still, according to the author, this reality is changing.
"The young people know that the public sector has
no tendency to expand. So, they need to prepare to
take positions in the private sector. "
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
In other words, it is evident the need to
significantly improve the infrastructure of
hospitals, medical centers, quality of care and
education so that Brazil may progress and achieve
more effective results.
For this development occur it is necessary to
invest in human capital, since it is the people who
promote it, it is not a result of the economy growth,
but of the people's desire to achieve a better quality
of life for all, so that, the quality of human capital
directly reflects the quality and proportion of
development. In this way, the formation of skills,
knowledge, and competence in people are
paramount to provoke the development of the
an country. This investment is generated when actions
and resources are applied to a good education in
factors related to the quality of life, such as
sanitation, food, health, housing, transport, and
safety, without which education alone cannot
achieve the aims (DE PAULA, 2008).
According to the Global Competitiveness
Report (2015), there are also other significant
factors considered to be determinants of efficiency,
being they efficiency in the goods market, financial
market development, technological readiness and
market size.
The efficiency pillar in the goods market did
not show good results, for example, it takes about
108 days to start a business, leaving Brazil in a bad
position, ranking 142nd in the world. Excessive
taxation is discouraging business investments
occupying the 139th place, and the complex
customs procedures - 138th. The development of
the financial market is medium, highlighting the
strength of banks in 13th place and the regulation
of the stock market in 17th place. The greatest
weakness of Brazil in this topic is the index of legal
rights, in which the country had a score of 3 in an
index of 0 to 10, being the 113th of the ranking.
In the technological readiness pillar, the
country's position in the global technological
frontier is classified according to its infrastructure
and companies. Brazil still needs many advances in
this pillar. In terms of technological absorption, it
ranked 59th and the availability of recent
technologies ranked 77th, but the index for foreign
direct investment and technology transfer enabled
to the country the 39th place.
Regarding the size of the market, being one of
the main advantages of Brazil, considering that the
country has the 6th largest domestic market in the
world and the 7th highest GDP, in addition to having
a high potential for growth and exports, ranked in
24th position. However, due to the
competitiveness of Brazil compared to other
countries, they reflect in the export rate in relation
to GDP, one of the worst places in the world in 140th
place. And despite the country has excellent
domestic conditions and a significant export power,
the results with these advantages are not generated
in good solid results for the Brazilian economy.
In addition to the basic and of efficiency
pillars, the tax exemption is another factor that
favors exports, providing equivalent
conditions in the foreign market. With fiscal
incentives, the burden of the heavy tax burden,
according to CASTRO (2007), decreases, allowing a
competitive reach of Brazil in the many markets.
Such incentives often allow that prices in the
domestic market to be higher than outside.
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
According to MAIA (2008 p.21) "It is often
said that it is difficult to export goods and
impossible to export taxes. Therefore, major
countries do not tax their exports. " Thus, the
Federal Constitution of 1988 established that some
taxes do not incur on exports.
According to FREITAS and MEIRELES (2010)
there are a number of benefits for exporting
companies, the so-called tax incentive that are: IPI -
Industrialized Product Tax, ICMS - Tax on Goods
and Services Movement, PIS - Social Integration
Program, IOF - Tax on Financial Transactions and
COFINS - Contribution to Social Security Financing.
In addition to these, there are other export relief
schemes, such as: REINTEGRA - Special Regime for
the Reintegration of Tax Values for Exporting
Companies, RECOF - Special Customs Regime for
Industrial Warehousing and RECAP - Special
low Regime for the Acquisition of Capital Goods for
Exporting Companies (MDIC, 2013).
EXPORT INCENTIVES
It is true that Brazil still needs to significantly
increase its foreign trade policy. According to
VAZQUEZ (2009), Brazil must observe several
factors to improve its position in the ranking of
exporting countries, such as improving the
country's image in the foreign market, expanding
price
regional integration with cooperation, inserting
foreign trade policy into educational, agricultural,
industrial and economic sectors policy, to enable
entrepreneurs to export and qualify their
respective products, as well as to mitigate
bureaucracy and encourage internationalization,
providing to Brazilians factors that provoke interest discover resolutions of problems presented
for exports. through scientific methods. In the study, a
According to MDIC (2012), were developed descriptive research was chosen, since the
by SECEX - Foreign Trade Secretariat with the historical facts related to the export of Brazil and
support of DEAEX - Department of statistics and the relevant data of the exports in the Tocantins, as
export support, actions and programs with targets well as in their respective municipalities of
from 2012 to 2015 to provide to the Brazilian exporters were observed, registered and
export incentive factors, some of them are the interpreted.
diffusion of the export culture, the dissemination of As for the procedures, according to ANDRADE
foreign trade information, the improvement of the (2009), the research is documentary and
systems of management of foreign trade and the bibliographical because it is based on primary
Brazilian commercial defense, and the expansion of sources as well as public archives and statistical
access to international markets. sources of government agencies, as well as on
Some initiatives to achieve these actions have secondary sources such as books, magazine papers,
already been achieved, such as the launch of 12 and internet, thesis and monographs. The
Learning to export (Aprendendo a exportar), which approached used is both quantitative and
is a tool that teaches step by step the export in qualitative, that according to OLIVEIRA (2005) the
several segments to the entrepreneur, the first method is revealed through what can be
Showcase of the exporter (Vitrine do Exportador), measured in numbers, demonstrating the
which virtually discloses companies and Brazilian information collected in a quantifiable way to
products in the international market, Commercial obtain an analysis of the data, and the second
radar (Radar Comercial) computerized commercial method can be explained in depth without the need
tool that allows the identification of countries and for quantification.
products opportune in the foreign market, and All the procedures used support the research
SISPRON - Interactive System for business use with base, which used the Ministry of Development
zero reduction of the income tax rate in the conduct Industry and Foreign Trade as the main source,
of market survey and product promotion. through data from the Foreign Trade Statistics -
DEAEX, as trade balance of Brazil and Tocantins,
METHODOLOGY identifying the participation of the Brazilian states,
the main destination countries and economic
It is understood that methodology is all the
blocks, the main products and total export value in
steps performed in the elaboration of a work, where
the year 2014. Also, was evaluated the Brazilian
techniques, methods, and materials are employed.
trade balance for the federation units where
(OLIVEIRA, 2005). According to Andrade (2009),
Tocantins information was collected and their
the research is characterized as the set of
procedures, based on the logical reasoning to

Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27

respective municipalities that exported in the same
period mentioned above.
Information such as the number of exporting
companies, main municipalities, destinations, and
products were organized and analyzed in tables,
extracting the most important municipalities
through the Pareto Principle, which is a method in
which data are separated into three important
groups through calculations, with A being the most
relevant, followed by B and C. In group A, five
municipalities were classified, representing 67% of
exports; in group B there are six, corresponding to
31% and in group C there are twelve municipalities
representing for 2%.
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF RESULTS
- TOCANTINS STATE PROFILE
The Tocantins is the newest of the 26
Brazilian states and was created by the National
Constituent Assembly, being dismembered from the
State of Goiás. Its population estimated in 2014 is
1,496,880, and its territorial area (km²) is
277,720,569. It is located in the northern region of
the country, bordering the states Maranhão, Pará,
Goiás, Piauí, Bahia and Mato Grosso. (IBGE 2013).
Besides being in a strategic position, it is also
considered one of the five most water-rich states in
the country, because it has considerably deep
rivers, mainly the Araguaia and Tocantins rivers,
two large navigable rivers that together form the
Araguaia-Tocantins basin, which has an area of
767,000 km², being one of the eight most important
Brazilian macro basins in the country, which also
covers other states such as Goiás, Mato Grosso, Pará
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
and Maranhão, being extremely important for the
disposal of soybeans, which appear as the main
product exported in Tocantins and in Brazil.
However, the navigability of this river basin is only
feasible for six months of the year, because it has
stones, sandbars, and indents. (PORTAL DO
TOCANTINS, 2008; MT, 2015)
The North-South Railway - FNS and East-
West Integration Railroad - FIOL are also
fundamental to the state logistics, according to the
MINISTRY of TRANSPORTATION (2015) the FNS -
of Bacarena/PA - Rio Grande/RS, is considered the
backbone of the logistics in Brazil, since it was
planned for national integration, and when it is
completed, it will have 4,155 km of extension and
will cover, besides the Tocantins, the states of Goiás,
São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraná,
Santa Catarina and the Rio Grande of the South. Only
in the Tocantins 814 km have already been built
passing through Aguiarnópolis, Palmas and Córrego
do Chicote, and the 504 km from Arguiarnópolis to
Palmas are already in operation. The East-West
Integration Railway, which will have, when to be
concluded, 1,527 km long, establishing a link
between Ilhéus harbor and the cities of Caetité and
Barreiras in Bahia and Figueiropólis in the
Tocantins, an interconnection point with the FNS,
which is also highly relevant to the state.
The BR-153 is the main state highway, being
considered one of the main routes of connection of
Brazil, having 799.3 km of extension, starting in São
Geraldo do Araguaia, in the border of Tocantins
with Pará, and ending in Talismã, the border with
Goiás. The Tocantins municipalities that export and
guide the BR-153 are: Araguaína, Nova Olinda,
Colinas do the Tocantins, Presidente Kennedy, destination block, corresponding to 49.53%,
Guaraí, Fortaleza do Tabocão, Miranorte, Paraiso do followed by the European Union with 30.89%.
the Tocantins, Santa Rita do the Tocantins, Gurupi, (MDIC, 2014). Figure 2 shows the main destination
Cariri do the Tocantins, Figueiropólis, and Alvorada. countries of Tocantins exports.
Other important highways to the state are the BR- It is observed in Figure 2, that China is the
010, which is 789.1 km long, BR-230 with 146.4 km, country that has the largest share of exports of the
BR-235 with 322.8 km and BR-242 with 607.2 km. state, followed by Spain, the Netherlands, Russia,
(MT, 2015; DNIT, 2009). and Thailand, which together represent a total of
74%. The other 19 destination countries that do not
- PROFILE EXPORTER appear on the graph correspond to 8% of exports,
among them are Kazakhstan, Vietnam, South Korea,
Among the main exporting states in Brazil are
Italy, and Japan.
São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná,
Mato Grosso, Pará, Espírito Santo, Bahia, Santa
Catarina, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and Maranhão,
representing 94.85% of exports, followed by Ceará,
Rondônia, Pernambuco and the state of Amazonas,
which together hold 2%. Among these, the state of
São Paulo stands out with 22.86%, followed by
Minas Gerais 13.03%, and Rio de Janeiro, which
holds 10.05%. Tocantins appears in 18th place with
the participation of only 0.38%, followed by
Alagoas, Amapá, Distrito Federal, Piauí, Rio Grande
do Norte, Sergipe, Roraima, and Acre, representing Figure 2. Main Destination Countries of Tocantins Exports in
a total of 0.96% (MDIC, 2014). 2014. Source: adapted by MDIC (2014).

It is important to note that exports in the

Despite Brazilian policies aimed at increasing
Tocantins had a positive variation of 22.42% from
the participation of the secondary and tertiary
the year 2013 to 2014, different from the states of
sector, we can observe in the historical evolution of
São Paulo and Minas Gerais, which had a negative
Brazil that its exports have always been related to
variation of 8.39% and 12.31%, respectively.
the primary sector.
The main export destination blocks are Asia
In 2014 the products that presented the
(excluding the Middle East) with a 32.7% share,
largest contribution in exports from Brazil,
Latin America, and the Caribbean - 20.5%, the
according to the MDIC (2014) still are: soybean
European Union - 18.7% United States - 12.1% and
complex, corresponding to 14% of exports,
Mercosur - 11.1%. In the state of Tocantins, Asia
minerals with 12.6%, oil and fuels representing
(excluding the Middle East) remains as the main

Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27

11.2%, and other products such as transportation
materials, meat, chemicals, metallurgical products,
sugar and ethanol, machinery and equipment,
paper and pulp, which corresponded to 41.4%,
meat - 7.5% and chemicals - 6.7%.
As in Brazil, soybeans still hold the largest
share of international trade in the Tocantins, with
72.9%, followed by bovine meat, which has a
20.35% share. Together these two products account
for almost the state's total parcel of exports. (MDIC,
2014). Figure 3 presents the main products and
municipalities of the state in the scope of export.

EXPORTS SHARE –
MAIN MUNICIPALITIES MAIN PRODUCTS EXPORT (US$ FOB)
TOCANTINS (%)
1. Soybean, even crushed – 95.69%.
Campos Lindos 201,180,737 20.89
2. Corn – 4.31 %.
1. Pies and other solid residues from the
extraction of soybean oil - 52.90%.
Pedro Afonso 2. Soybeans, even crushed - 40.62% 155,148,065 16.11
3. Soybean oil and its fractions, even refined,
but not chemically modified - 6.8%.
1.Meat of bovine animals, frozen - 81.10%.
2. Meat of bovine animals, fresh or chilled -
15.15%.
3. Gut, bladders, and stomachs of animals,
except fish, whole or in pieces, fresh, chilled,
Araguaína frozen, salted, dried or smoked - 2.50%. 128,262,976 13.32
4. Edible offal of bovine, swine, sheep, goats,
horses, asses, mules or hinnies animals, fresh,
chilled or frozen - 1.25%.

1. Soybean, even crushed -99.30%.

Guaraí 2. Corn -0.70%. 83,406,361 8.66
Cariri do Tocantins 1. Soybean, even crushed -100%. 76,254,913 7.92

Figure 3. Main exporting municipalities and products of the State of Tocantins in 2014. Adapted by MDIC (2014).

These five municipalities classified by the
Pareto diagram as the most important, represent
approximately 20% of the exporting municipalities
of the State, holding about 70% of total exports.
Among them, the one that stands out most is
Campos Lindos, whose main product is soybean,
which also appears in Pedro Afonso, Guaraí and
Cariri do the Tocantins. In terms of product
differentiation and greater distribution of share in
percentage, the most outstanding are Araguaína
and Pedro Afonso.
The 18 municipalities that do not appear in
the table are those that were classified as B and C
according to the Pareto Diagram, because they have
medium and small relevance, corresponding to 33%
in total, having as main products exported the
soybean complex, meats and derivatives, fruit
juices, activated coals, chemical elements and
radiative isotopes, pumice stone, emery, natural
grenade, wilting and basketwork and cotton.
Below the map presents the participation in
millions of the 23 municipalities that exported in

Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27

2014. Figure 4 presents all the exporting
municipalities of the state of Tocantins.
Figure 4. Map of Tocantins: Participation in Millions of the
Exporting Municipalities in 2014 (US$ FOB). Source: Research
data (2015).
In 2014, the largest number of exporting
municipalities in the state since 2006, a total of 23
municipalities, being that in 2006 there were only
12. It is important to note that other municipalities
in the Tocantins, such as Tupirama and Paranã,
have already had a share in exports in 2013, and
Wanderlândia from 2001 to 2003 between the
years of the same period quoted above (2006-
2014).
It can be seen that Campos Lindos, Pedro
Afonso, and Araguaína are the state's largest
exporters, whose main products are soybean and
derivates, alcohol and refrigerated and frozen
bovine meat. The municipalities that export from 50
to 99 million is Cariri do the Tocantins, Guaraí,
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
Fortaleza do Tabocão and Silvanópolis all have
soybean as the main product.
According to Figure 4, the entire state
microregion has, in a greater or lesser volume of
exports, some municipality that exports, being
the largest concentration in the microregions of
the central-north, central-west and northeast of
the state.
The number of exporting companies
located in these municipalities in 2014 are 53,
among then those that most outstanding in terms
of exported value above 50 million are: Minerva
S/A in Araguaína; ABC-Industria e comercio S/A
and Bunge Alimento S/A in Campos Lindos;
Pedro Afonso Açúcar and Bioenergia S/A in
Pedro Afonso; Multigrain S/A from Fortaleza do
Tabocão; Bunge Alimentos S/A from Guaraí;
Cooperative of the producers of meat and
derivatives of guru in Gurupi and the Fiagril LTDA
from Silvanópolis.
The municipalities that stood out most in
terms of a number of companies were Ponte Alta
does the Tocantins with 16 companies, all with
revenues of up to 1 million, followed by Porto
Nacional with 06 and Campos Lindos with 04
companies. In general, 8 state companies had
revenues above 50 million on exports, 11 of them
from 10 to 50 million, 7 from 1 to 10 and 28
companies below a million.
RESULTS ANALYSIS
It is understood that the characteristics of the
country, directly reflect the profile of the state of
Tocantins, presenting similarities as the main
product, block, and country of destination, which in
both are soybean, Asia and China. It is also noticed
the great agricultural export potential of this state
that only two products: soybean and bovine meat
represent 93.25% of the total exports of Tocantins.
It is important to emphasize the growth in the
State's exports from 2013 to 2014 when compared
with other states with higher export volume.
The municipalities that stand out as major
exporters are Campos Lindos, Pedro Afonso,
Araguaína, Guaraí and Cariri do the Tocantins. It is
also observed that actions are needed to stimulate
exports at the state level and improvements in the
basic pillars of the country, so that states can
generally achieve significant results in the
communication, institutions, macroeconomic
environment, education and health and
infrastructure aspects, mainly logistics.
In order to promote development, a number
of national incentives to encourage export activity
have been carried out, such as virtual tools and tax
incentives, that is, tax relief, which is extremely
important to promote international
competitiveness.
However, even with all the exemptions,
Brazilian legislation often does not respect these
incentives, instituting many requirements that
harm the exporter and significantly affect the
competitiveness of the products, another factor that
does not favor is the lack of knowledge of the
entrepreneurs regarding the reimbursement of
taxes and exemptions from them. Therefore, it is
important to aim for the efficiency of the tax system,
to avoid the cumulativeness of taxes and the de-
bureaucratization of the same, to not harm the
competitiveness of the country.
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
Besides the actions that are fundamental to
develop the export activity, the Tocantins possesses
natural richness, like navigable rivers and an
excellent geographical position highly promising
for the flow of the products by diverse modalities.
In the period from 2011 to 2014,
interventions were carried out in the country and in
the Tocantins to complete strategic highways,
increase the agricultural frontier and national
integration, as well as completed railway works to
structure broad-gauge transportation axes, to
increase capacity of load and multimodal
integration, in addition, adjustments were made to
eliminate or reduce the problems of the flow of
trains in urban areas. And in the waterway
transportation, maintenance and adaptation works
were carried out on the Brazilian waterways.
However, many investments and immediate actions
are still needed, such as the construction of harbors
and terminals, bridges, locks, completion of FNS
stretches, construction of the East-West integration
railroad - FIOL, and duplication of roads, adequacy,
and paving. (MT, 2015).
All these factors are essential to promote the
export culture and increase the participation of the
state, which, although small, has great
opportunities for growth and enormous potential to
be exploited.
CONCLUSIONS
It is evident the development of Brazil in the
export activity, which had its mark with the
publication of the Royal Charter for opening the
harbors and that for many years had coffee as the
main product of the foreign market, where through
it Brazil also reached its first surplus in exports.
However, with the uncertainties and crises of the
coffee sector that profoundly affected the economy,
the country stimulated the diversification of the
production line, and soy is currently the most
exported product in the Brazilian ranking.
Despite the significant advances, it may be
seen that exports from Brazil, as well as in the
Tocantins, are more focused on basic products as at
the beginning of Brazilian history, taking into
account that basic products are not higher value-
added products, therefore they are cheaper and
generate smaller surpluses. Besides this aspect, the
state's exports concentrate on only two products:
soybean and meat, generating greater risk and
dependence. Therefore, in order to increase the
participation of the state, which has not reached
even 1%, it is necessary to maintain the exports of
the primary sector, since they are favorable in the
state, and aim to increase the tariff of products,
mainly in the tertiary sector.
The present study identifies the export profile
of the state, through its main markets, mainly the
countries from Asia; products, such as the soy
complex, meat, and derivatives, being its main
exporting municipalities Campos Limpos, Pedro
Afonso and Araguaína. Another
characteristic is that most of the exporting
municipalities are on the BR-153 margin or the
North-South Railway, which indicates the need to
improve the infrastructure to further facilitate the
outflow of production.
Journal of Geospatial Modelling, v.3, n.1, p. 12-27
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