São Paulo – Apart from participating in Khartoum International Fair, which takes place from February 2nd to 9th in the capital of Sudan, the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby, who should represent the organisation at the fair, plans to make contact with private and government sector representatives in the African country.
According to him, the agenda suggested by the Sudanese ambassador in Brasília, Abd Elghani Elnaim Awad Elkarim, includes meetings with the minister of Industry and Trade, the governor of Khartoum and the directors at the Businessmen’s Association, the Free Zone Company and the Association of Contractors.
According to Alaby, the Association of Contractors of Sudan plans to promote a trade delegation to Brazil in late March to make contact with Brazilian construction companies. The objective is to attract these companies to projects in the African country. The Free Zone Company, in turn, promotes the fair.
This is the sixth time that the Arab Brazilian Chamber participates in the fair in Khartoum, which is multisectorial. Apart from the organisation and the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), responsible for organisation of the Brazilian stand, the space should also include the representatives of Kepler Weber, a factory that produces agricultural silos, BRFoods, the holding that includes the two main Brazilian food brands, Sadia and Perdigão (Perdix, in the Arab world), and Grendene, in the shoe sector.
The fair takes place shortly after the referendum about the division of the country into the North, with the seat of the government in Khartoum, and the South, where the seat of the government would be Juba. A preliminary result shows that the independence of the South was approved with 99% of the votes.
On Monday (31), TV network Aljazeera, from Qatar, informed that the vice president of Sudan, Ali Osman Mohamed Taha, recognized the result and wished "good luck" and a "fruitful future" to the Sudanese of the South.
Trade between Brazil and Sudan has been on the rise in recent years. In 2010, Brazilian exports to the African nation generated over US$ 100 million, growth of 3.22% in comparison with 2009. The main products shipped were sugar, agricultural implements, tobacco and chicken.
Apart from exports, Brazilian companies have technology and investment in Sudan. The first ethanol mill by Kenana Sugar Company was built by Dedini, from the interior of the state of São Paulo. A group from Mato Grosso, in turn, is cultivating soy and cotton in the country with seeds developed in Brazil.
*Translated by Mark Ament
