RAW STRENGTH IN BRAZIL

Covering nearly half the surface of South America, and with half the continent's 140 million population, Brazil was the world's fourth largest nation (after Russia, China, Canada) until the U.S. added Alaska. With no deserts, tundra or rugged mountains, the nation is 80% rolling plateau, has the third greatest expanse of arable land on earth, more than all of Europe. But Brazil's potential is not yet scratched:

sb It has the world's greatest hydroelectric potential, some 80 million kw.; yet installed capacity so far is only 5,000,000 kw., not quite enough to light the New York City area.

sb With 16% of the world's forests, Brazil exports $90 million worth of pine a year with little effort, soon will produce all its own pulp and paper. But the Amazon's magnificent hardwoods (300 varieties v. 70 in the U.S.) rot on the forest floor, and its 600 varieties of palm trees, source of fiber, sacking, fuel, cattle feed and oils--stand unused.

sb More than 1,800 kinds of edible fish swarm in Brazil's waters, but Brazilians still open Portuguese sardine tins, and they imported tuna until last year.

sb Rubber is native to Brazil, which has some 600 million trees growing wild. The potential is more than 600,000 tons of natural rubber a year. Yet only 20,000 tons are tapped, and Brazil is building two petrochemical plants to cut its needs for imports of $40 million worth of Asian rubber a year.

sb The world's greatest iron deposits push through Brazilian earth in mountains of solid ore--65 billion tons, 35% of the world's total reserves, much of it the 60% hematite that steelmen call "filet mignon."

sb Bauxite reserves run to hundreds of millions of tons, and are economically close to cheap power sites, but Kaiser and Reynolds development projects were vetoed by strident nationalism ("The aluminum is ours!").

sb The Amazon and Parana are two of the world's largest sedimentary basins--together nearly 2,000,000 sq. mi. But of potential oceans of oil, only traces have been found; last year Brazil produced only 30% of its requirements from an old field at Bahia.

sb With soil so rich that almost any crop will grow, Brazil is potentially one of the world's greatest agricultural nations. It exports cognac, champagne and wine to Argentina, the U.S. and Europe--including 30 million liters last year to France. It is the world's No. 1 producer and exporter of coffee, ranks seventh in soybeans and rice; sixth in tomatoes, sweet potatoes and peanuts; fifth in jute; fourth in tobacco and cotton; second in sisal, cane sugar, cacao, corn, oranges. Yet its agricultural technology is primitive and its export potentiality (it grows more bananas and pineapple than any other country, but exports little) is barely tapped.

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