São Paulo – The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) and the government of the state of Rondônia will work together to bolster trade ties between the state and the Arab countries, including exporting tambaqui fish. The deputy governor and secretary of Economic Development of Rondônia, Sérgio Gonçalves (União Brasil party), met this Wednesday (12) with the secretary-general & CEO of the ABCC, Tamer Mansour, at the entity’s headquarters in São Paulo. The two outlined a series of activities to be developed in partnership. Pictured above, Mansour, Gonçalves, and their staff in a meeting at the ABCC.
One of the ideas discussed was encouraging the sale of tambaqui fish to the Arabs. Rondônia is the leading Brazilian state producing this fish, also known as black pacu, and has five processing plants. According to Gonçalves, tambaqui is a versatile fish capable of replacing salmon on dishes. They agreed to promote Rondônia’s tambaqui to the Arabs in tastings for the region’s diplomats in Brazil and shows abroad.
In addition to exporting fish, Mansour and Gonçalves discussed other possibilities for cooperation to make Rondônia sell more to the Arabs and receive investment from the region. The state government and the institution plan to conduct a study to identify potential export sectors from Rondônia to the Arab markets. According to Mansour, the state of Rondônia is one of the most prominent in beef exports to Egypt.
They also agreed to plan joint activities around sustainability and the environment, with a view to the 28th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP28) to take place in the United Arab Emirates later this year and attract Arab investment in environmental conservation in the state environment to generate carbon credits.
Actions have already begun to be discussed and, for the most part, include the participation of Arab diplomacy in Brazil so ambassadors can share business possibilities with their countries. The joint work is expected to be carried out under an agreement the ABCC and the state plan to sign.
According to data gathered by the ABCC, in 2022, the state of Rondônia obtained USD 374 million in revenue from exports to the Arab countries. There was a 34.3% increase over the previous year’s result. Sales were mainly soybeans, beef, and maize. The state imported USD 18 million in Arab products, particularly fertilizers and propylene polymers, down 10% over 2021.
The ABCC will be represented at the Rondônia International Rural Show, in the city of Ji-Paraná, in the state’s interior, from May 22 to 27. The show is the biggest in the agribusiness sector in the North region of Brazil. In last year’s edition, the Rondônia International Rural Show rendered BRL 2.6 billion (about USD 515 million at the current rate) in business, according to data released by the organization on the show’s website.
Also participating in the meeting this Wednesday were the deputy governor’s technical advisor, Adriano Flores Messias da Silva; the Institutional Relations director of the ABCC, Fernanda Baltazar; and the institution’s Institutional Relations analyst, Elaine Prates.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
