VANTAGENS COMPARATIVAS NO COMÉRCIO EXTERIOR DA AGROINDÚSTRIA PARANAENSE: 1989-2001

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the foreign trade in the state of Paraná from 1989 to 2001, identifying the "strong points" of comparative advantage and the predominant kind of trade for the most representative sectors of agricultural manufacturing industry of the State, through analysis of non-aggregated data (3 digits). The methodology is based on calculation of indicators of Revealed Comparative Advantage (BALASSA, 1965), Covering Tax and Intraindustry Trade (GRUBEL & LLOYD, 1975). Results showed that qualitative changes which occured at the productive level of the State also had impact on the exporting sector, being verified a transformation in the pattern of exports in the nineties, when the value of industrialized products turned out to be superior than the basic ones. Although some chapters and categories of products had presented a behaviour which directs them to the intraindustry trade, Grubel & Lloyd's data showed that, for the agricultural manufacturing industry of Paraná, the kind of interindustrial trade is still predominant. Moreover, relevant changes occured in the interior of traditional genders of industry, and the State started to show a growth of exportations of more elaborated products.