The Brazilian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Isnard Penha Brasil Júnior, started discussing with the governments of both countries and with Brazilian organizations the possibility of receiving Saudi students in the country for post-graduate courses in science and technology. The idea is to make Brazil an alternative to other regions of the world, where the Saudis have a hard time obtaining visas.
Author: Mark Ament
Road equipment maker Randon, from the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, plans to open an assembly line in the region this year or in 2008. The organization is analysing the possibility of setting up the plant in the Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Iran. The company had revenues of US$ 206.9 million with exports in 2006, of which 25% came from Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
Butantan Institute, in the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, is going to produce vaccines against the H5N1 virus. An adjuvant, developed by the institution itself, will be used to increase the immunizing power of the vaccine by four times, expanding its efficiency and production capacity, as well as reducing costs. The idea is to answer to Brazil, Latin America and other developing countries.
The increase refers to sales made by Brazil to the Arab countries between January and February this year, when compared to the same period in 2006. Revenues were US$ 910.9 million and the main buyers were, in this order, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Managers at the organization met last Friday with representatives of the African embassies, among them the Tunisian and Moroccan. The company already has an office in Ghana and wants the countries in the region to use its services, especially in the case of technology transfer.
Amiantit, a multinational in the pipe sector, has been controlling Amitech, a factory located in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, since 2002. In July this year the plant will receive its second production line. The organization is eyeing the warming up of the Brazilian large diameter pipe market, as they forecast new infrastructure works due to the Sanitation Law and to the Brazilian government Growth Acceleration Program (PAC).
This information was disclosed by former minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues. In an interview to ANBA he said that biofuels are the new paradigm of the energy sector and the transformation of products like ethanol into commodities is going to change international trade relations.
Agência Brasil* Brasília – The Brazilian foreign trade reserves have exceeded the US$ 100 billion barrier for the first time in history. The Brazilian Central Bank (BC) disclosed yesterday (28) that foreign currency reserves – a kind of savings account that the country has for possible economic shocks – reached US$ 100.3 billion on Tuesday
Italian group Mossi & Ghisolfi inaugurated yesterday (28) a PET industry in the northeastern Brazilian state of Pernambuco. The product is used mainly for the production of plastic bottles. The enterprise received investment of R$ 700 million and will produce 450,000 tonnes a year.
The International Biofuels Forum will be established on Friday by Brazil, United States, South Africa, China, India and the European Commission. The idea is to create common norms and standards for these products, especially ethanol, to consolidate world trade in the sector.
Amalia Sina, who was the president of companies Walita, in the household appliance sector, and Philip Morris Brazil, in the tobacco sector, opened a company to export cosmetics, mainly to the Middle East and North Africa. The official launch of Sina Cosméticos, to sell the Amazonutry nutritional brand of products for skin and hair, will take place in March, in Italy.
The ambassador of Kuwait, Waleed Al-Kandari, proposes the signing of cooperation agreements, the exchange of government missions and the promotion of joint events. Today he is offering in Brazilian capital Brasília a reception to celebrate the 46th anniversary of the independence of his country. Directors of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce will be present.
Makhloufi Hamid, from Algeria, came to São Paulo to visit the offices of Brazilian industry Inbramaq, from which he is going to import a line of machinery to produce potato chips. The Arab intends to open a factory in April with a capacity for production of 50 kilograms of potatoes per hour.
