Cairo – Brazil’s Agriculture, Livestock and Supply minister Marcos Montes (pictured above) talked on Monday (9) with some major fertilizer exporters from Egypt about potentially scaling up the supply to the Brazilian market. The meeting took place in the office of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in Cairo, Egypt.
Accompanied by a business delegation, the minister is visiting three Arab countries in search of alternatives for Brazil’s fertilizer supply. The federal government has launched a National Fertilizer Plan that aims at widening the import options as well as encouraging domestic production. Brazil brings in 85% of the fertilizers it consumes. Montes had meetings in Jordan last weekend and will travel to Morocco.
In the talk with leaders of large Egyptian fertilizer companies, particularly superphosphate exporters, it was agreed that industry representatives will visit Brazil to talk with Brazilian agricultural importers and produces in the following months in a bid to make room for a higher trade. Backed by the government, the ABCC will organize the meetings.
Along with Brazil’s ambassador to Cairo, Antonio Patriota, and the agricultural attaché at the embassy, Cesar Simas Teles, the minister talked with representatives of companies like Abu Zaabal for Fertilizers & Chemical, Abu Qir Fertilizers, Fleet Energy, and El Nasr Co. For Intermediate Chemicals, as well as Tarek Zaghloul, member of the Chemical and Fertilizers Export Council in Egypt. A matter of consensus was the need to more direct exports to farmers, without intermediaries.
ABCC secretary-general & CEO Tamer Mansour participated in the meeting and suggested that the subject could be followed up by a visit of Egyptian exporters to Brazil. Arab countries like Qatar, Algeria, Morocco and Egypt are some of fertilizer suppliers to Brazil. Russia is also a leading exporter to the country, but the war it has wage against Ukraine has created uncertainties regarding the fertilizer supply to the international market.
Foods
Marcos Montes also met with Egypt’s animal protein importers on Monday in the ABCC office. According to information the minister gave ANBA, they talked about product prices and how the Egyptians could keep buying good from Brazil for smaller prices. “Prices are high across the world,” said Montes.
Montes said he would discuss the matter with the government of Egypt. He has meetings scheduled with Egyptian ministers on Tuesday (10). The Arab country has worked for containing surging food prices, and the private sector is worried with shortage of supply. Russia and Ukraine are Egypt’s suppliers of staplers like wheat.
Industry association ABPA market director Luis Rua participated in the meeting, as well as representatives from BRF and JBS that are part of the mission.
On Monday, the minister and his delegation also attended a seminar hosted at the auditorium of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC), which was held by the ABCC and supported by Brazil’s Embassy in Cairo and FEDCOC.
Here’s more on the mission:
- Jordanian company to increase potash exports to Brazil
- Jordan, Brazil seek to boost bilateral trade
- Jordanians seek phosphate joint venture with Brazil
- Egypt supplies 3% of fertilizers imported by Brazil
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
