Brazil: Foreign Trade Boom

BY THIERRY OGIER

SÃO PAULO - Roberto Giannetti da Fonseca has a problem that many exporters envy: He can't keep up with demand. The president of Ethanol Trading SA has just closed a deal to export ethanol to oil-rich Nigeria.

"The business outlook is pretty good," he says. "Export growth will be greater this year than it was in 2006. We are not going to be able to meet all the demand."

Giannetti is also a foreign trade director at Fiesp, the São Paulo industry lobby, and is taking part in the negotiation to set up a strategic alliance between Brazil and the United States.

But also Brazilian importers are bullish. The Hirsch brothers are busy setting up a large show