Cairo – The number of visitors to the Brazilian stand at Cairo International Fair yesterday (25) rose surprisingly. "Maybe due to the fact that the end of the fair is near, the volume of businessmen interested rose very much. This was the greatest turnover we have had since the start of the event," stated the foreign trade assistant at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Hans Lazarte Lima. "I am impressed with the general interest in opportunities, both for imports and for exports, shown by Egyptian businessmen," he added.
According to Lima, the interest in the Brazilian stand was so great that it attracted the attention of representatives of neighbouring stands. "Some came to ask us what we did to attract so many visitors, despite not showing any products," he explained. According to Lima, this is the largest sign of the growing importance of Brazil in Egypt and the Arab world.
"When they noticed the Brazilian logo, they sought us to collect information and upon realising we were representatives of the Arab Brazilian Chamber, the businessmen showed even greater interest, as they noticed the existence of an opportunity to make use of services that the organisation provides to companies, at no cost, and tried to establish contact that may generate business," he explained.
In Lima’s evaluation, one of the strong points of Brazilian participation at the fair was that it was visited by several presidents of Egyptian companies and organisations from other regions. "This was the case with Atef Ahmed, the head of a Lebanese organisation, who travelled to Egypt mainly to participate in the event and sought the Brazilian stand interested in importing beef," he said. In previous days the Brazilian stand had received, mostly, representatives of the general public and visits by export managers.
Most of the businessmen and company representatives who visited the Brazilian stand are in the food sector. "Several importers who are already used to the purchase of Brazilian beef came to consolidate their relations with Brazil and to possibly increase their volume of imports," said Lima. According to him, the site was also visited by businessmen interested in buying canned beef. "One of them even asked me to send him contact information of companies that may supply the product, specifically 200-gram cans," he explained. Some businessmen also wanted to obtain information about how to import fish and seafood from Brazil.
Apart from the food sector, other areas generated interest from Egyptian importers, like civil construction and the hospital sector. "We received businessmen seeking raw material for production of PVC, polyethylene and iron. The hospital sector was also sought by those seeking contact and business with Brazilian companies," said Lima.
*Translated by Mark Ament
