The Government of the Azores has been recording, with satisfaction, the growth of exports in the Region as a result of the continuous efforts to qualify economic agents and companies for the economy of tradable goods and internationalisation strategy.
However, this recorded growth is only verifiable regarding trades with European Union and third countries. It does not include trade within the national territory, which is the main target market of regional production.
According to the statistical information released by the Regional Statistics Service on trade with the external markets, a total of 207 million Euros in dairy products were traded in 2013, of which 21.7 million Euros were within the Region, 169 million Euros in Mainland Portugal in Madeira and four million Euros in Madeira, plus 9.6 million Euros in the European Union and 2.9 million Euros in third countries. These figures took into account the data provided by dairy industries, which represent a considerable part of the regional export base.
Thus, the trade data with foreign countries, reflected in international trade statistics, only represents about six percent of the total dairy products that are marketed.
The marketing of Azorean products in external markets abroad goes far beyond what official statistics show as exports and are limited to what is sold to the European Union and third countries.
The internal and national markets have always been the main target markets. The Regional Government has strongly invested in the consolidation of these markets, through the revitalisation of transport sector and the promotion of Azorean production.
Every year, the Government has developed a Plan for Trade Fairs and Business Missions with the active participation of companies and the partnership with the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Azores, which has proved crucial to the increase in sales volume abroad.
Companies that participated in the 2014 Fair Plan ended the year with an overall 7.3 percent increase in exports, which represented an increase of 12 million Euros.
In 2015, the Regional Government will awarded priority status to the European and North American markets.
The Support System for the Promotion of Azorean Products, which covers the support to the sale, marketing and transport of Azorean products, has been in force with the aim of reducing transport constraints. Currently, the creation of a new Incentive subsystem for the internationalisation of companies is being notified to the EU Commission.
The Regional Government created the Incentive Subsystem for the Promotion of Exports under the Incentive Scheme for Business Competitiveness - Competir+. This subsystem aims to stimulate the economy of tradable goods, encouraging the implementation of investment projects directed to external markets.
Moreover, the "Azores Brand" was recently created by the Regional Government to project the archipelago and the regional economy in the internal and external markets. This initiative aims to increase the perception of value of regional products and services, both in terms of product quality and range of services, by implementing a strategy to differentiate them based on the most distinctive features of the Azores, like nature, the high environmental value, diversity and natural exclusivity.
The expansion of exports is a goal for which the Regional Government has outlined a consistent strategy to increase exports.
The awareness that the access to new markets and the expansion of exports is critical to strengthen the competitiveness of the regional business sector has led the Regional Government to undertake a significant effort towards the creation of measures for the support of economic activities on all islands.