Marina Sarruf*
marina.sarruf@anba.com.br
São Paulo – To promote the beef and medical and hospital equipment sectors in Libya, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce has scheduled a series of visits for the executive directors of the Brazilian Beef Industry and Exporters Association (Abiec) and the Association of the Manufacturers of Medical and Dental Products (Abimo), starting this week. The meetings should take place in the sidelines of Tripoli International Fair, in the Libyan capital, to begin on Wednesday (02).
“Promoting trade and sector missions during fairs (in which the Arab Brazilian Chamber is participating) values company participation in the event,” stated the president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Antonio Sarkis Jr. According to him, the members of the mission may also visit the fair and make contact with local companies.
The executive director at Abiec, Marcio Caparroz, who has already been to Libya, should visit the Brazilian embassy in the Arab country, the Business Council in the country and beef distributor Mahari Livestock today. “The objective of the trip is to consolidate the beef market and visit some important distributors and local authorities,” he said.
Last year, exports of beef to Libya totalled US$ 37 million, against US$ 38 million in 2006. Shipments totalled 19,000 tonnes in 2007, 1,000 tonnes less than in the previous year. “We are going to improve ties with the market to increase these values,” stated Caparroz.
If to the director at Abiec the objective of the trip is to consolidate the Libyan market, to the director at the Abimo, Hely Maestrello, the purpose is market prospecting. “We want to improve market studies in Libya, to discover who are the main suppliers, if there is space for Brazilian companies and what kind of action could be promoted in the country,” he said. According to Maestrello, there are many Brazilian companies interested in the market and depending on the results of the mission, the Abimo could organize a trade delegation to the Arab country in 2009.
Fair
Tripoli International Fair, which is multisectorial, should count on a Brazilian stand, covering an area of 54 square metres, organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber. The space should be a centre for support to companies in Friboi group, in the beef sector, and to Grendene, of shoes, so that they may promote their products and make commercial contacts with Arab buyers and investors.
Apart from representatives of these companies, the Chamber stand should include the Market Development Coordinator at the Chamber, Rodrigo Solano, and the analyst in the same department, Marcus Vinicius. The fair brings together around 2,000 exhibitors from 30 countries.
Brazilian exports to Libya last year totalled US$ 238.66 million, which represented an increase of 17.35% over 2006. The main products shipped were iron ore, sugar, beef, aircraft, milk, granite, bodies and wood.
Brazil imported from the Arab country, last year, crude oil and naphtha for the petrochemical industry. Imports totalled US$ 995 million in 2007, against US$ 288 million in the previous year.
*Translated by Mark Ament
