Competitiveness of corn exports of Patos de Minas, MG

Abstract

This article aimed to verify the competitiveness of corn exports carried out by the municipality of Patos de Minas, in Minas Gerais state, Brazil, between 2007 and 2020. For this purpose, we used the following competitiveness indicators of international trade: revealed comparative advantage index (RCA), regional orientation index (RO), Grubel-Lloyd (GL), trade openness index (GO), and import dependence coefficient (IDC). The RCA of the municipality was superior to the others of Minas Gerais state throughout the entire period. The RO showed that corn exports of Patos de Minas between 2007 and 2020, were mostly sent to Mercosur member countries. The GL index indicated that the municipality trade is purely inter-industrial, while the results for the GO suggested that the economy of Patos de Minas is relatively closed to international trade. The IDC indicated that Patos de Minas is not dependent on imports. The findings of this work provide relevant information for the formulation of agricultural and trade policies aimed to the growth and development of the municipality of Patos de Minas and, consequently, of the state of Minas Gerais.