São Paulo – The Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA) opened an office in Dubai this Sunday (13) in the United Arab Emirates. The facility will be located at the branch of the São Paulo State Agency for the Promotion of Investments and Competitiveness (Investe SP) in the emirate. It will work to insert and expand the presence of Brazilian agribusiness products in the region’s market.
In a speech at the launch, the International Relations vice president of CNA, Gedeão Pereira, said the office would work primarily to help agribusiness SMEs, which do not have the structure to reach a market like that Arab one. “Why Dubai? Needless to say. The Arab bloc is the third-largest importer of Brazilian agribusiness products,” stated Pereira.
The opening ceremony was broadcast on CNA’s YouTube channel and was attended in person by representatives of small and medium-sized national agribusiness companies and other Brazilian entities. The president of Investe SP, Gustavo Junqueira, spoke in a recorded video at the opening. “It is an honor to contribute with CNA, so it will continue to support Brazilian agribusiness companies worldwide,” he said.
Other officials at the event gave an overview of what Brazil represents to the UAE. The ambassador of Brazil to Abu Dhabi, Fernando Igreja, said the presence of the CNA in the UAE ennobles Brazil and, presently, the country is indeed the leading partner of the Gulf country in Latin America. “It is an increasingly important partner on the world stage, not just in commercial terms,” said Igreja.
Brazilian federal deputy Sérgio Souza (MDB-PR), president of the Agribusiness Front, also attended the event. He said the UAE look to Brazil as a protagonist in food security. “Brazil’s main role is food production; this is our flagship. We would not be able to compete with our neighbors here, the Asians, to make a smartphone, but they will not be able to compete with us to make a kilo of chicken,” he stated.
Authorities and executives
The secretary-general and CEO of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), Tamer Mansour, and the director of the entity’s office in Dubai, Rafael Solimeo, participated in the opening. The ABCC, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), and Investe SP already have offices in Dubai. The ABCC also opened an office in Cairo, Egypt, and has plans to open a branch in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Also at the opening were the president of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (EMBRAPA), Celso Moretti; the Business Director of Apex-Brasil, Lucas Fiuza; the president of the Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Enterprises (SEBRAE) in São Paulo, Tirso Meirelles; the director of the Investe SP office in Dubai, Silvia Pierson; the COO of the Apex-Brasil office for the Middle East and North Africa, Karen Jones; and the director of International Relations at CNA, Sueme Mori Andrade; among others.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
