São Paulo – The Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) is supporting Brazilian oil and gas companies that are willing to establish themselves in the Middle East. The information was supplied by the Market Image and Access coordinator of the agency, Gilberto Lima Jr. The work is being carried out through the business centre that Apex maintains in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
“The oil and gas industry production chain is discovering the [Middle Eastern] market in a more structured manner. With the support that our Dubai centre is granting, we believe that the segment is going to grow a lot,” said Lima Jr., in an interview to ANBA, during the seminar “Internationalization of Brazilian Companies,” held today (7th) at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp).
The event was promoted by the Foreign Trade Board (Camex) and by the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex), both of which are arms of the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
At the opening of the seminar, minister Miguel Jorge presented a term of reference for the internationalization of Brazilian companies, which took five months to be drafted by his ministry, the president’s cabinet and the Ministry of Foreign Relations.
"We need clearly defined public policies for supporting internationalization," claimed Jorge. "The government is aware of the fact that it must work to improve the conditions for our companies to go international," he finished off.
Presently, the Apex works with 11 Brazilian companies at its Dubai centre. According to Lima Jr., in the first quarter of 2010, the physical capacity at the centre should reach its maximum, of 20 companies. However, he explains, support is unlimited in the fields of trade intelligence, organization of local businesses and of strategic affairs.
The Dubai centre provides services to companies in the footwear, textile, construction, auto parts and food industries. “We have been using the Middle East as one of the main markets for renewing our exports, and in coming years we hope to increase the potential for trade relations between Brazil and the United Arab Emirates through Dubai. The centre acts as an incubator for companies that want to be in the region, and will certainly gain importance as time passes,” said the Apex president, Alessandro Teixeira.
He claims that he considers it very important for Brazilian companies to internationalize in the Middle East, however, “not so much for establishing manufacturing companies, because many of the items that the region purchases cannot be made there, but mainly in the fields of representation and re-exports.”
Welber Barral, the Foreign Trade Secretary of the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, claimed that the “government is a facilitator for internationalization.” “The role of the government is to eliminate the obstacles. We want to be as competitive in internationalization as companies in China and India are now.”
According to Barral, the most well-established experience in internationalization of Brazilian companies takes place in Latin America, but the process is also growing in Africa and the Middle East. “A very interesting fact is that [Brazilian fast food chain] Habib’s is opening stores in the Middle East. This attests to the quality of internationalization of the Brazilian product,” said the secretary.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
