This initiative came from the Center for Wood Producers and Exporters of Mato Grosso (CIPEM) and support was forthcoming from the State Secretariat for Industry, Commerce, Mines and Energy (SICME) and the Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Enterprises (SEBRAE).
According to SICME, the object is to tackle some of the main problems in the forestry sector such as timber pricing, level of taxes imposed by the State Secretary of the Environment (SEMA) and the use of timber transport documentation amongst others.
According to SEBRAE, the APLs will be successful if the union of small producers can create networks that sustain the local market. To this end entrepreneurs are being encouraged to pay more attention to marketing, market analysis and sector networking as well as collaboration with institutions which can offer assistance.
