São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce will carry out a series of actions in Syria, beginning on Friday (15), aiming to gain market space in the country for Brazilian products. One such action consists of taking part in the Damascus International Fair, which starts today in the capital of the Arab country, and in which the organisation will have a stand. Beginning on Monday (18) the Arab Brazilian Chamber will also promote, along with the Brazilian embassy in Damascus, a trade mission focused on the machinery and electronic device sectors.
The Brazilian stand at the fair will occupy a 54-square-metre area. The Foreign Trade coordinator at the organisation, Francisca Barros, will be at the premises to provide information regarding Brazilian production to Syrian importers and to do market prospecting for national industries. She took to the country promotional catalogues of Brazilian companies interested in entering the local market. Brazil is one among 50 countries that will be represented in the Damascus International Fair, which should continue until August 22.
The mission will last until August 21 and, in addition to Arab Brazilian Chamber leaders and professionals, it should count on representatives of the Brazilian Machinery Manufacturers Association (Abimaq) and of the Association of the Brazilian Electric and Electronic Industry (Abinee). “The Syrian market has potential in the areas of raw materials and capital goods, but not in finished goods,” says the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, who is going to be part of the mission. The Arab country imposes some restrictions on imports of end products.
Alaby underscores that the Syrian economy is growing and has industries – which demand machinery and inputs – in sectors such as textiles, furniture and foodstuffs. "The Syrian industry needs to increase its productivity. This also holds true of agriculture," says the Market Development manager, Rodrigo Solano, who will also be a member of the Arab Brazilian Chamber mission. Electronic material to be showcased will also be turned to production and infrastructure, such as engines and transformers, according to Alaby.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce invited Abimaq and Abinee to integrate the mission precisely as they are familiar with the local market. "Brazil is already regarded as a supplier of these products, but the Brazilian share of these sectors in Syria is still small, in the face of the existing potential," says Solano. Besides Alaby and Solano, the mission will include Arab Brazilian Chamber director Sami Roumieh, the vice president at Abimaq, Carlos Nogueira, and the Product Groups director at Abinee, Niels Kleer.
They are going to contact private sector representatives and government officials in Syria. The programme includes a visit to the Federation of Syrian Chambers of Commerce, the organisers of the Damascus International Fair and the Ministry of Economy, among others. Most of these meetings aim to showcase the potential of the Brazilian industry for machinery, and electric and electronic devices. Also scheduled is a visit to Cristalsev, a sugar manufacturing plant built in the country with a share of Brazilian capital.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
