São Paulo – Arab countries are among the new markets that Brazilian honey exporters want to conquer in coming years. In 2011, a group of beekeepers is planning to attend food industry trade shows in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
"We should go to the Gulfood, in Dubai, and to another food fair in Saudi Arabia, which has not been defined yet," says José Gumercindo Correia da Cunha, president of the Brazilian Beekeeping Federation (CBA) and of the Sectorial Chamber for the Honey and Beekeeping Products Chain, linked to the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply. "We realized that a significant share of the honey exported to Germany, for instance, is shipped from there to the Arab countries. Our effort now will be geared towards negotiating directly with these importers," he adds.
According to Cunha, the idea is to put together a large Brazilian booth, in which there will be room for showcasing products and carrying out business roundtables. "Presently, Brazil has 25 exporting organizations, and we should take 15 to 20 beekeepers along with us," he claims. In addition to the beekeepers, the booth will count on the presence of organizations such as the CBA, headquartered in Porto Alegre, the capital of the state of Rio Grande dos Sul; and the Central of Beekeeping Cooperatives from the Semiarid Region, based in Picos, in the state of Piauí.
The president says that last Monday (23rd), a meeting of the Sectorial Chamber was held in Brasília to set the group’s strategic agenda. "Our very short term actions will include developing traditional markets such as the United States and European Union and working to enter new markets, including Arab countries," he says.
According to him, actions targeting research and technical assistance for increasing productivity and sanitary quality are also among the ten focal points in the Chamber’s agenda. In October, a process should start for typifying the honey produced in the country. The work will be coordinated by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) in partnership with universities and scientific investigation institutions. According to estimates, initially, 15 types of honey should be typified.
According to data supplied by the CBA, there are 350,000 beekeepers in Brazil. The honey production chain produces 60,000 tonnes per year, but the industry has capacity for 200,000 tonnes. "It will be made possible through training and the occupation of regions in which beekeeping is now taking its first steps," he explains.
"The quality of Brazilian honey is internationally known, because we do not medicate our bees, so our honey is residue-free. Besides, we have certified organic honey in many regions of the country," he points out.
In 2009, Brazil exported 25,000 tonnes of honey. The country ranks fifth among the leading global exporters. The industry aims to rank among the three leading exporting countries worldwide within the next 10 years, and to increase exports of finished products, which have greater added value, and currently account for only 10% of foreign sales.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
