By Brazil Stock Guide – Brazil will only unlock the full economic and social potential of its critical minerals if it builds robust beneficiation and value-added industries, according to Tólio Ribeiro, general coordinator for metallurgy and forest-based industries at the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (Mdic).
Speaking at a Congressional public hearing on Wednesday (29), Ribeiro emphasized that while Brazil has seen progress in projects involving niobium and lithium, these remain isolated cases. “We cannot lose sight that the goal is not just a national policy for critical minerals,” he said. “We understand this as a national policy for the development of the entire minerals production chain — it’s a strategic matter.”
The remarks were reported by Agência iNFRA, following the first meeting of the National Mineral Policy Council (CNPM), which established at least two working groups to address mineral strategy and value chain development.
Ribeiro highlighted that expanding local processing capacity is key to ensuring that Brazil’s resource wealth translates into technological innovation, job creation, and sustained economic growth. He argued that the country must move beyond the export of raw ores and focus on industrial integration — from exploration and refining to manufacturing components that feed global supply chains for batteries, electronics, and renewable energy.