Baranov calls for "maturity" to discuss "vocation" of each critical mineral
The president of Simineral-PA (Mineral Industries Union of the State of Pará), Anderson Baranov, stated this Tuesday (30) that Brazil needs to take advantage of the boom in critical minerals to mature the debate on the country's role in global mining chains.
The statement was made during CNN Talks: Nova Era da Minação, amid the discussion on the national policy on critical and strategic minerals, approved by the Chamber of Deputies and still under analysis in the Senate.
Baranov, who spent decades at Hydro before assuming the presidency of Simineral, defended that the discussion should not be made in a generic way.
For him, the country needs to evaluate mineral by mineral, taking into account productive vocation, market, industrial capacity, competitiveness, internal demand and real possibility of adding value.
"Are we mature enough to live what we are experiencing today as a society? Do we know what we want? Why don't we discuss something bigger: what do we want? Which minerals are only suitable for export? Which ones are we going to add value to?".
According to Baranov, the discussion on mineral sovereignty should not be politicized to the point of ignoring the differences between production chains. The assessment is that not every critical mineral has the same industrialization potential in Brazil, just as not every project should follow the same regulatory or commercial model.
The point he defends is that the country needs to separate minerals with a vocation for export from those in which there is space for processing, refining, industrial transformation or production of components with greater added value in the national territory.
The speech comes amid pressure for Brazil to expand its presence in the most noble stages of the mineral chain.
The country has relevant reserves of different minerals used in batteries, renewable energy, fertilizers, defense, semiconductors and high-tech equipment, but still participates little in phases such as advanced processing, separation, refining and component manufacturing.
In Congress, the debate gained strength with the project that creates the national policy on critical and strategic minerals. The text approved by the Chamber provides for incentive, financing, traceability, value-adding and government coordination instruments for projects considered priorities.
At the same time, representatives of the private sector argue that public policy must have objective criteria and avoid unique solutions for chains that are very different from each other. The concern is that rules that are too broad will end up creating obstacles for projects that are already economically viable or that do not have an industrial vocation in Brazil.
For Baranov, Brazil needs to use the current moment to build a long-term mineral strategy. This means defining where the country simply wants to be a competitive supplier of raw materials and where it can compete for more sophisticated stages of the global chain.
The discussion takes place in a scenario of dispute between great powers for access to critical minerals. The United States, the European Union, China and other blocs seek to guarantee the supply of essential inputs for the energy transition, defense industry and advanced technologies.
CNN Talks: New Era of Mining brings together authorities, businesspeople, experts and representatives of the productive sector to discuss the paths of Brazilian mining in a new phase of global competition for critical minerals, energy transition and security of supply chains.
The meeting takes place at a time when Brazil is trying to transform its geological advantage into economic, industrial and diplomatic protagonism, with debates on financing, environmental licensing, innovation, sustainability, traceability, added value and greater participation of the country in the most noble stages of the mineral chain.
Source: CNN