Last year the company from the state of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil, sold dark glasses to Saudi Arabia, and they are already negotiating with buyers from the Emirates and Kuwait. Mormaii is the main maker of neoprene suits for surf and water-sports in Brazil. In all, 40 factories in the country and around the world are licensed to produce company products.
Author: Mark Ament
The minutes of the document were discussed by the Foreign Ministers of both blocs at the end of last week in Marrakech, Morocco. The text is to be debated by the heads of state of both regions in May, in Brazilian capital Brasília. Among the chapters are economic cooperation, trade, multilateral relations, sustainable development, and the fight against poverty, among others.
Multinationals in the car sector have started using Brazil as an export platform not only to Latin America, but also to countries in the Middle East, Africa, Asia and Europe. Sales of cars, buses and cargo vehicles to the Arab world totalled US$ 150.2 million in 2004.
According to a study published this week, there was a 14% increase in the tourist flow when compared to 2003. Last year, foreigners spent US$ 3.22 billion in the country. Together the 50 main companies in the sector had revenues of approximately US$ 2.7 billion.
The peanut sweets, caramels, lollypops and gum sweets made by Kiuti are being very successful in the Middle East and North Africa.
This will be one of the topics to be discussed during the meeting between Foreign Ministers of countries in both regions to take place today and tomorrow in Marrakech. The main objective of the meeting is to finalize the main proposal of the declaration to be submitted to the heads of state at the summit between Arab and South American countries, to take place in Brazil, in May.
The city of Marília in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, one of the main food production hubs in the country, exported US$ 19.1 million in sweets last year against US$ 14.5 million in 2003. New opportunities coming up in Arab countries such as Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Yemen are helping to increase external sales.
The Arab country is currently one of the main importers of Brazilian cattle beef. During a meeting that took place last weekend, representatives of the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, the Federation of Muslim Organizations in Brazil and the Brazilian embassy in Cairo also discussed the possibility of product inclusion in the trade treaty negotiated between the Mercosur and Egypt.
In parallel to the Summit of Arab-South American Countries, scheduled for May, there should be events turned to private organizations. The Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty) is inviting 35 financial institutions that administer the funds of Arab businessmen to participate in the activities. The Ministry also invited the secretary general of the Gulf Cooperation Council to meet representatives of the Mercosur and discuss the proposal of the commercial agreement between both blocs.
The first shipment – of 8,500 heads of cattle – took place last week, from Rio Grande port, in southern Brazil. Up to the end of the year, there should be another two shipments of similar magnitude. The sale satisfied farmers who, due to the drought in the region, are currently going through financial difficulties. The animals were sold at prices ranging from US$ 0.51 and US$ 0.57 per kilogram.
Brazilian rice exports should rise 416% this year when compared to 2004. Apart from the traditional markets, rice producers from the state of Rio Grande do Sul negotiate the sale of the grain to other countries, among them the Arabs. A trading company form the United Arab Emirates interested in importing the product got in contact with the Federation of Rice Associations of Rio Grande do Sul (Federarroz). Another potential market is the Saudi, the fourth largest rice importer in the world.
For the first time Brazil won the gold trophy at the main international design award, iF Product Design Award 2005. The main award in the lighting category this year was won by designer Fernando Prado, who developed lighting fixture Luna, with black and white rotating shades. This was also the first time that Latin America won gold in the 50 years of the award. Last year, the country won three silver trophies.
Wooden product company Uliana received yesterday, from a local importer, an order for 500 doors. The company director, Antonio Carlos Uliana, says he is planning to participate in the event again in future and to find a representative in Egypt. Serra Comercial, which is representing Repume, a lighting fixture producer, is negotiating with a businessman from Dubai for the production of public lighting equipment in the United Arab Emirates.
The president of the Rio de Janeiro State Port Authority, Antônio Carlos Soares, who administers the ports in the state, relates this increase in throughput to greater federal investment in the ports in the state. From 2002 to the end of this year, they will have received approximately US$ 49 million. The Sepetiba, Angra dos Reis, Niterói and Rio de Janeiro port terminals shipped approximately 32 million tonnes out of the country in 2004. For this year, exports are expected to reach 40 million t
