Drew Crawford, head of the Australian Continental, has spent 12 years in Brazil and focuses on agricultural production, critical minerals and export infrastructure
Having traveled on 12 years in 16 states, about 50 cities and hundreds of businesses in Brazil, the American Drew Crawford The Commission considers that the agricultural production, critical minerals and export infrastructure, They are gathering significant potential for the country.
It's Crawford. managing partner of Australian Continental, a company active in the connection of international capital with Brazilian enterprises and assets in the fields of agricultural production, critical minerals and export infrastructure. According to the company itself, the American has passed 12 years in Brazil, having visited 16 states, about 50 cities and hundreds of businesses. Its route includes areas of production in the South and in the West Centre of the country, the zone MATOPIBA, but also the mining area of Minas Gerais.
Its main position is that Brazil has significant productive and natural advantages, while the question it is considering is whether available capital can follow the same pace as the development of these infrastructure and productive activities. This is the investment view of Crawford and Australian Continental and not for a financial return guarantee.
Agricultural production in focus
The first pillar of its analysis is the Agricultural sector. According to the figures cited by the Australian Continental, exports from the Brazilian agricultural sector reached some 164 billion dollars in 2024, amount corresponding to approximately 49% of the country's total exports. Soya, meat, coffee, sugar and orange juice are some of the main chains used by Crawford to describe Brazil's international presence.
The country is a leading producer and exporter of soybeans and has a significant presence in other agricultural raw materials. The development of production in Cerrado, a region of savanna in central Brazil, is linked, inter alia, to the development of tropical farming technologies and to the research of EmbrapaFor Crawford, however, production is not enough. Much of the value depends on the cost of the product until it reaches the ship: roads, railways, warehouses, downloads, waterways and ports are part of the same equation.
Niobium and graphite
The second area that stands out is critical minerals, that is raw materials used in industries such as production battery, electric vehicles and advanced industrial equipment. Niobium is a special place. Brazil is by far the world's largest producer, with about 90% of world production according to U.S. data. Geological Survey and Brazilian geological authorities.
Niobium is used, among other things, to strengthen metal alloys which are used in cars, pipelines, turbines and other industrial applications. The area of Araxa, in Minas Gerais, is one of the most important centres production of niobium in the country. The second resource to emerge is graphite, which is used among others in lithium ion batteries. Brazil has about 22% of global reserves of natural graphite, according to USGS data-based data. The existence of stocks, however, does not automatically mean commercial exploitation. To reach a deposit in production requires geological research, licensing, processing, infrastructure and funding.
THE «North Axis» and the road to the ports
The third pillar of the analysis concerns export infrastructure and in particular the so-called Northern Arc. It is a network of ports and transport routes in the north and northeast of Brazil, which is increasingly used to transport agricultural products from the West Centre and MATOPIBA to international markets. Reason is relatively simple: part of the soy and corn from within the country is transported by road or through other infrastructure to strategic terminals and from there through river and sea transport to the ports of the north and north-east coasts.
Thus, the need to transfer the entire production to the ports of the south and southeastern parts of the country is reduced. For Crawford, the distance from the field to the ship is critical factor for the final financial result. The increased transport, storage and transhipment costs, the greater the value of production is absorbed by the supply chain.
The gap between production and capital
This very point is at the heart of the Australian Continental. The company states that it is trying to connect international institutional funds and family offices with Brazilian projects in the three specific sectors: agricultural production, critical minerals and export infrastructure.
Crawford's investment position is based on the view that Brazil already has much of its natural resources and production potential the global economy needs, but funding and infrastructure must be developed at the same time. After 12 years of presence in the country, 16 states, about 50 cities and hundreds of businesses, the American now focuses its analysis on how the distance between Brazilian productive assets and international funds that can fund their expansion can be closed.
