São Paulo – Brazilian executives and entrepreneurs got a first-hand insight into the business opportunities in Oman on a mission held by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) to the country earlier this week. Organized by the ABCC office in Dubai, the trip allowed representatives of Brazilian companies to have meetings with Omani businesspeople, which are expected to open new business fronts between the countries.
“Good businesses have already started during this mission,” Rafael Solimeo, head of the international office of the ABCC in Dubai, told ANBA. The executive, who led the delegation, explains that they used the celebration of the Bicentennial of the Independence of Brazil in the Embassy of Brazil in Muscat, which brought Brazil to the fore, to promote a business agenda.
Solimeo says the results of the mission proved the potential for business in Oman, a country he says is not a saturated market in the region and holds a very peaceful position. “Oman is a virtually untapped market. There are many trade and partnership opportunities for Brazil,” he told ANBA, pointing out the good relationship between the country and other regions across the world like Africa, which further expands opportunities for Brazil.
He says that Oman is a major supplier of fertilizers, which Brazil needs to maintain its agricultural output, and that on the other hand the Arab country needs many products from abroad to ensure its local food security. “Even if they are growing their own food, there is still room for Brazilians to supply to this market, there is still demand in this and other areas,” he said.
Solimeo says that the mission took companies with branches in the United Arab Emirates, as the appointment were schedule only days before. “Many accepted the challenge readily,” the executive said. But Solimeo plans on holding a future mission with representatives of companies from Brazil, as well as holding an Omani mission to Brazil to tap some promising opportunities for Brazil-Arab relations.
In addition to Solimeo and ABCC International Business senior executive in Dubai Noury Dweidary, the delegation featured Brazil’s Rolando Corradini, sales director for the Middle East and Turkey of Embraer; Omar Hamaoui, partner of trading firm Nad Al Shiba International; Larissa Wilson, owner of High Class Travel Experiences; Júlia Maria do Prado Martins, manager of the office of Pantanal Trading in Dubai; and Rodrigo Borges de Paiva, general manager of Al Qutbay Trading FZ-LCC, who participated online. The Brazilian embassy in Muscat supported the mission.
The group had business and institutional meetings according to the sectors and interests of each company and was welcomed by local authorities and institutions, including the Oman Investment Authority and the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (photo on top). The three days of activities from September 6 to 8 included a seminar at the headquarters of the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Thursday (8). Counselor Cláudia Assaf represented the Embassy of Brazil in Muscat in the event. The Brazilians also participated in the celebration of the Bicentennial of Independence.
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The interests of the companies in the mission were greatly varied; High Class, for example, aims to attract Brazilians to the Omani tourism. Wilson praised the organization of the mission the business relationship it elicited and said Oman holds a great potential for attracting tourists due to its natural wonders, palace hotels, crystal-clear waters, Arab culture, security, the hospitality of its citizens, and mountain cities. “High Class Travel Experiences will start an action plan later this year to promote this destination in Brazil, “ she said, mentioning her desire to organize an Omani tourism business mission to Brazil.
Entrepreneur Hamaoui, who started Nad Al Shiba after establishing the engineering company Engeprot in the region, said the experience of the mission was positive and that the meetings were encouraging. He pointed out the support he received from the ABCC when he started Engeprot in the region. “The history seems to repeat itself,” he said. And Al Shiba plans on taking Brazilian products like sugar, soy and oils to the region.
The delegation had appointments with Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Redha Juma Al Saleh, CEO Al Fadhal Abbas Al Hinai and Organizations & International Relations Department director Haritha Salim Al-Busaidi; Omani Ministry of Heritage and Tourism’s Oman Convention Bureau director Khalid Al Zadjali; and Oman Investment Authority Economic Diversification Investment senior manager and Economic Diversification Investment manager Lubna Badar Al Mazroei.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
