Isaura Daniel
São Paulo – A mission including around 30 businessmen and representatives of the Algerian government will arrive in Brazil on August 26. The group, made up mostly of importers, will be visiting the country to do business with Brazilian companies. "This is a buyer mission," stated Michel Alaby, secretary general of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB).
The CCAB is organizing this event together with the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Algerian Embassy in Brasília, the Brazilian capital.
Dani Benchaa, director general for the Americas at the Algerian ministry of Foreign Relations, has already confirmed his presence. The Algerians will be spending five days in Brazil, participating in business roundtables and doing business with domestic companies.
According to Alaby, Brazilian cattle beef is one of the main products of interest to Arab businessmen. The list of products they want to purchase, however, ranges from agricultural foods, like sugar, coffee, soy, and maize, to leather, chemical products for agriculture, electronic products, sports and fitness equipment, machinery for the clothing and shoe industry, agricultural machinery, raw material for the production of light fixtures, aluminium plates, electrical energy distribution cabinets, air-conditioners, live cattle, raw material and machinery for paper processing, machinery for bird and cattle slaughter, animal feed, construction material, and material for production of highway signs. There is also interest in partnerships in the area of civil construction.
There will also be Algerians interested in selling their products. They, however, will be in lower number than the importers. The group is going to offer pasta, semolina, and plywood.
Council
Apart from the business roundtables, there will also be, on the first day (26), a seminar by representatives from both countries. The Brazil-Algeria Business Council will also be officially released. The council is made up of businessmen from both countries. In Brazil, it is coordinated by the CCAB, and in Algeria, by the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The group is going to work on providing incentives to business between both nations. The release assembly will take place on the afternoon of August 26.
The Algerians will be staying in São Paulo, the largest business centre in Brazil, up to August 28, when they will leave for Rio de Janeiro. Apart from visiting the main tourist points in the capital or Rio de Janeiro state, also in southeastern Brazil, they should meet representatives of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio de Janeiro (Firjan) and participate in business roundtables with companies in the state. They are scheduled to return to Algeria on the afternoon of August 30.
The idea of this visit was born during Algiers International Fair, at the beginning of June, in which Brazilian businessmen participated. They exhibited their products at a stand organized by the CCAB and by the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty).
Business
The business roundtables should increase trade between Brazil and Algeria. Currently, Brazil has a large trade deficit with this Arab country, mainly due to import of oil and derivatives. The Algerians sold US$ 1 billion to Brazil from the beginning of the year to July, and purchased around US$ 170 million. The negative balance for Brazil is US$ 830 million.
Brazilian sales to the country, however, are growing. In the whole of last year, total sales were US$ 153 million, US$ 17 million less than the total sold up to the month of June this year.
The CCAB secretary general believes that Brazilian revenues with shipping to the country should double by the end of the year. "Brazil is appreciated in Algeria, and the country has a good name, due to constant participation in fairs, and minister Dilma (Roussef, minister of Mines and Energy) visited the country last year," he stated.
The presence of the Algerian mission in the country also has the support of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) and of the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex).
Information:
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB)
Marketing Department
Telephone: (+55 11) 3283-4066
e-mail: marketing@ccab.org.br
Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Algerie)
Palais Consulaire 6, Rue Amilcar Cabral. C.P. 16003 Alger – BP 100 Alger ler Novmbre
Tel.: (213 – 2) 965050 – 967777 – 966666
Fax: (213 – 2) 967070 – 969999
e-mail : caci@caci.com.dz
http://www.caci.com.dz
