From the Newsroom*
São Paulo – The secretary-general of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), Michel Alaby, accompanied by representatives of the Federation of Muslim Organizations in Brazil and of the Brazilian embassy in Cairo was, last weekend, at the Egyptian Ministry of Agriculture. The Brazilian delegation was received by the head of the animal defence department in the ministry, Ahmed Radwan.
Topics discussed included, among others, the possibility of signing a sanitary accord between Brazil and Egypt, with the future possibility of defining a standard for Egyptian demands in the area of animal sanitation, and the organization of visits by Egyptian technicians to Brazilian meat packing plants.
Egypt is currently among the main markets for Brazilian cattle beef. In February, for example, the Arab country occupied the top of the list among importers of raw Brazilian cattle beef, with 18,900 tonnes purchased, generating US$ 19.88 million, according to figures supplied by the Brazilian Beef Industry and Exporters Association (Abiec).
The tariff preference accord being negotiated between the Mercosur and Egypt was also included in the meeting. According to Alaby, the possibility of including Brazilian, Argentine and Uruguayan cattle beef in the agreement was also discussed.
*Translated by Mark Ament
