São Paulo – Expanding Brazil’s food exports to the United Arab Emirates is one of the main topics of meetings being held this week between representatives of Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock and officials from the Arab country. The Brazilian delegation is in the UAE for a series of meetings and visits, including to the largest food and beverage trade fair in the Middle East, Gulfood, in Dubai, which ends on Friday (21).
To the Emirati state news agency WAM, the Secretary of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry, Luís Rua, said this mission to the UAE aims to strengthen the existing relationship in food supply, as Brazil is an important partner in ensuring the food security of the Gulf country.
The Brazilian mission also seeks to explore new opportunities for Brazilian agribusiness, such as the export of tropical fruits to the UAE, a segment that still faces the challenge of transit time from shipment in Brazil to the consumer’s table in the UAE cities.
“The UAE already trusts Brazil as a key supplier, with Brazilian meat exports reaching USD 1.59 billion and exports of sugar and ethanol totaling USD 1.14 billion,” Rua told WAM. On his social media, he mentioned that earlier today the Brazilian delegation had meetings with representatives from the UAE’s Ministry of Climate Change and Environment.
Sanitary and phytosanitary regulations have also been topics of discussion in the meetings. “More than just selling products, we want to build lasting relationships based on trust, innovation, and a commitment to safe and sustainable supply,” Rua said.
Gulfood features Brazilian participation
The delegation is composed of the Ministry’s Executive Secretary Irajá Rezende de Lacerda, Agricultural Defense Secretary Carlos Goulart, Budget, Planning, and Administration Undersecretary Fernando Magalhães Soares Pinto, and the Inspection of Animal-Origin Products Director Juliana Satie. The schedule includes visits to industrial facilities, including the BRF plant in Kezad, and to the Gulfood fair, which hosts Brazilian companies and industry associations as exhibitors, including two stands organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
Another institution present at the event is the Brazilian chicken and pork lobby ABPA. The organization takes advantage of Gulfood to present an update on the Brazilian Chicken brand, created in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) to promote fresh and processed chicken meat produced in Brazil abroad.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
