São Paulo – Brazilian participation in the Arab Health, to take place from January 23rd to 26th, in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, will have some news: presentation of brand Brazilian Health Devices, to represent medical and hospital sector products abroad.
“The pavilion will not be green and yellow, like in other editions. It will focus on the Brazilian Health Devices brand, as it is the health brand established for the international scenery,” said Paula Portugal, International Projects manager at the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Medical, Dental, Hospital and Laboratory Articles and Equipment (Abimo). “The brand was established to grant credibility and quality to Brazilian products. We want to work the image of Brazil in the Middle East,” she said.
Brazil will have 44 companies at the fair in Dubai. Participation of the country is organized by the Abimo, in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex). This is the ninth Brazilian participation in the Arab Health. Of all the companies, Portugal says that 15% are going for the first time. Expectations are for the fair to generate US$ 1 million in business during the event and US$ 14.5 million in business over the following 12 months.
Apart from participation in the Arab Health, the Arab market will also be the focus of other Brazilian actions in 2012. Saudi Arabia remains in the list of target markets for Brazilian medical-hospital sector exports. After promotion of a delegation for prospection in 2011, the Abimo decided to promote a trade delegation to the country. “The delegation should take place this year. We are going to take companies to roundtables with businessmen from Saudi Arabia,” said Portugal.
Apart from that, the organisation plans to bring Arab journalists to the Hospitalar fair, to take place from May 22nd to 25th, in São Paulo, as part of the Image Project, whose objective is presenting the industry to foreign press.
According to Portugal, Brazilian companies have been eyeing the Middle East very much. “Arab Health is an incredible business fair for Brazil and should continue being so. Exporters eye Latin America and then turn to the Middle East, and this should continue.”
Dentistry sector
Ten companies in the dentistry sector will participate in the 15th International Dental Conference and Arab Dental Exhibition (AEEDC), to take place from January 31st to February 2nd, also in Dubai.
In Brazil, in turn, during the 30th São Paulo International Dentistry Congress (Ciosp), from January 28th to 31st, Abimo should bring 20 international buyers to business roundtables. Among them, there will be four Arab buyers from Tunisia, Iraq, Jordan and Morocco.
According to Portugal, the fact that the national companies are travelling to Dubai at the same time as the Ciosp is taking place shows the sector interest in the Middle East. “AEEDC receives many dentists, the final public. With each year, the Brazilian pavilion gets more and more dentists,” she pointed out.
Exports
According to the Abimo, in 2011 Brazilian sector exports totalled US$ 707 million, while imports reached US$ 4.06 billion, generating a deficit of US$ 3.35 billion. Foreign sales last year grew 12.5% over 2010.
The only sector that presented a surplus was the dentistry sector, with a positive result of US$ 6 million. According to Portugal, the Arab countries represent 30% of the Brazilian health sector sales as a whole.
In the area, medical and hospital equipment were those that presented the greatest growth in exports in 2011, as against 2010, at 51.5%; followed by equipment for implants (18.5%), laboratory equipment (13.3%), consumer products (8.7%) and dentistry (2.1%).
*Translated by Mark Ament
