São Paulo – The matchmaking rounds held in the beginning of this month between Brazilian pharma sector businessmen and Arab buyers may yield US$ 2.2 million worth of deals in the next 12 months for Brazilian manufacturers. This is the estimate made by the Brazilian Pharma Chemical and Pharmaceutical Inputs Industry Association (Abiquifi, in the Portuguese acronym) as a result of the meeting with Arab importers promoted during the fair CPhI South America, held between August 5th and 7th in São Paulo.
According to a communiqué released this Wednesday (20th) by the Abiquifi, there were 121 meetings during the matchmaking rounds. This is the first time Abiquifi has promoted a meeting of the kind with Arabs in Brazil through the Brazilian Pharma Solutions project, a partnership with Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). On previous occasions, the Abiquifi had already promoted negotiations between Brazilians and Russians and Brazilians and Latin Americans, for instance.
For this matchmaking, nine buyers from Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Iraq and Sudan were invited. The buyers came to Brazil at the invitation of the Brazilian Pharma Solutions project with the support of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
According to the International Projects manager for Abiquifi, Natália Porto, the perspective of closing US$ 2.2 million worth of deals in the next 12 months depends on the progress of negotiations, and deals may take a longer or shorter time due to the process of registering the medical products in the importing country. She said the result was “positive.”
“It was an initial contact. Brazilian companies still export little to Arab countries, but it was a very positive result. The companies involved in the project were excited about the perspectives,” she said.
Abiquifi’s manager said that the association should hold another matchmaking round with Arab buyers in 2015 or 2016 in order to increase sales to the region. In 2013, from a total of US$ 18.59 billion worth of pharmaceutical products imported by Middle Eastern and North African countries, US$ 11.57 million originated from Brazil.
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
