Economia extrativa mineral da Amazônia paraense: indústria-motriz ou economia de enclave (ainda)?

Abstract

This article aims to study the economic dynamics of mineral extraction in the Brazilian Amazon, especially in the Amazon region of state of Pará, as the main driver of regional economic development. In the 1970s, the Federal Government had created a great expectation regarding the formation of industrial mineral complexes that would allow the emergence of primary productive chains with a high degree of importance for the stage of completion of the process of heavy industrialization of the Brazilian economy. However, it can be seen that the effects were not so immediate for the economy of the Amazon, in general. In recent years, however, there is a growing debate about the relationship between mineral activity and regional development. In this context, the mineral extractivism of the state of Pará economy serves as a basis for the formation of the productive chains of the various branches of the manufacturing industry, which transform the raw materials into industrial products, because these are the ones that add more value to the various finished products that use materials -primary minerals. In addition, the processing industries generate more jobs and income for the families that own the factors of production. The main conclusion is that mineral extraction is still heavily dependent on imports of inputs considered strategic, as well as capital goods from other regions. There is indeed great potential for promoting regional economic development through industrial verticalization, but it is clear that its nature as an Enclave Economy and also the intensive use of capital ends up limiting the propagation of synergistic effects For the rest of the economy of the State of Pará. Therefore, in order to break the status quo, a national policy of regional development should be defined that favors the formation of vertically integrated productive chains and a foreign trade policy that stimulates the export of products of greater Of added value so that the resulting benefits can be internalized in the region in the form of income and employment.