RIO DE JANEIRO - Building of submarines in Brazil is a strategic issue and a guarantee of sovereignty, said Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff in a weekly radio talk Monday.

Brazil has started building four diesel-powered submarines under an agreement with France which entails technological transfers.

President Dilma Rousseff attended the commencement ceremony last week at the shipyard where four submarines will be built. The first vessel is expected to be ready for delivery by 2016.

"Brazil is becoming part of a small group of countries which have the knowledge and technology to build submarines. The capacity to produce submarines is a strategy for both defense and economic growth," said the president.

She noted that each submarine consists of more than 36,000 components which will be produced by 30 Brazilian companies.

Building the four submarines will help create, both directly and indirectly, some 46,000 jobs, said government sources.