Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – Brazilian businessmen will participate in the 40th edition of the Cairo International Fair, the main business event in Egypt, which will run from March 21st to March 30th. The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce will have a 55-square-metre stand, featuring representatives of three companies and one institution from Brazil. "This is an important multisector fair for establishing the image of Brazil and of the Arab Brazilian Chamber in Egypt," said the secretary general at the organisation, Michel Alaby.
According to him, the Cairo International Fair is a great meeting point for Brazilian businessmen to make contacts and promote deals. One of the participating companies is Digitel, a manufacturer of data communication products, such as modems, multiplexers and routers. "Since last year we have been going after this market. Our goal is to have a local partner," said José Roberto Flesch, who is in charge of international markets at Digitel.
This is going to be the second time that the company will participate in a trade fair in an Arab country. Last year, Digitel participated in a fair in Jordan. "To us, participating in fair is a means for making contacts and checking potential local customers," Flesch said. According to him, the products and services that the company offers depend on a local partner to reach the end customer. "We do not have a clear view of the technology market in Egypt yet, we do not know what their technological level is. Our participation will be the beginning of everything," he claimed.
Another point that Flesch mentioned is that the Brazilian technology market is still not very well known abroad. "People do not regard Brazil as a source of technology, they are surprised, because most suppliers (in the sector) are from the United States and Europe," he said. According to him, the participation of the company in the fair is also going to show the Brazilian competitiveness.
Based in the southernmost Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, the Digitel company has approximately 180 employees, and produces an average of 10,000 units per month, with 10% to 15% of its production turned to the foreign market. Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay, Colombia, Venezuela, India, Vietnam and Angola are among the main markets for the company. In order to increase its revenues, of approximately US$ 40 million, the company has been trying to conquer new markets.
Lighting
The Brazilian stand at the fair will also feature the Ilumatic company, a manufacturer of lamps for streets and public construction works, industries, hotels, and hospitals, among others. "We want to enter the Arab market this year. After the exhibition in Cairo we are also going to participate in a fair in Qatar," said the commercial director at Ilumatic, Klaus Diter Lacher.
According to him, the company is going to show the Arabs the most modern and high performance lamps for public lighting. "Our product has 100% national technology," Lacher claimed. He said that the company produces 400,000 points of light per year and exports 3.5% of its output. "We want to reach 5.5% after participating in the fairs. We are betting on the foreign market," he said. The countries to which Ilumatic already exports include South and Central American countries, Angola, Portugal and Spain. Headquartered in the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, the company employs 290 people.
In order to represent the sector in the fair, the Brasfoods trading company is going to show the Arabs some Brazilian spices and condiments, such as black, white and pink pepper, Jamaican pepper and cloves. Representing the meat sector, the director of the Brazilian Halal Food Centre (Cibal), Mohamed Hussein El Zoghbi, will be at the fair.
Exhibition
Cairo International Fair has been held since 1968 and attracts approximately 1.5 million visitors, of which 17% are from 15 different foreign countries. According to data from the official site of the exhibition, last year, 22% of visitors attended the fair for the first time. A total of 1,330 exhibitors participated, of which 330 were foreign.
Brazilian exports to Egypt amounted to US$ 1.34 billion last year, representing a 55.4% increase compared with 2005. The main products exported to the Arab country were bovine meat, sugar, iron ore, calcinated alumina (for producing aluminium), chassis with engines and chicken meat.
Brazilian imports from Egypt amounted to US$ 37.7 million last year, against US$ 31 million in 2005. Naphtha for the petrochemical industry, cotton, carbon and bovine leather were the main products purchased by Brazil.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
