São Paulo – Brazilian companies participating in in Khartoum International Fair, in Sudan, should close deals in the African country in coming days. Apart from the exhibition, they have meetings with potential clients and from these meetings the first contracts may come out in the trip. Participation of companies is organized by the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
The export manager for Africa at Indústrias Reunidas Colombo, of agricultural machinery, Bruno Alves Carneiro, met on Wednesday (16) with representatives at Kenana Sugar Company, a Sudanese company that makes ethanol, sugar and its products. A new meeting is scheduled to take place on Thursday (17) and there Colombo should sign contracts for the sale of harvesters to Kenana, which is already a client.
There is also a possibility for other orders to be made through Colombo’s local partner, Dal Group. “As we have already operated in the Sudanese market, the chance of receiving orders is greater. Dal Group is already our distributor and wants to bring further equipment here,” said Carneiro.
The administrative and commercial director at NSO Borrachas, Karla de Mello Kalef, stated that it will be possible to advance in talks. “In the contacts I made at the fair and in the meetings we had here, we identified that the Sudanese know what they want and are serious. I also noticed that the meetings scheduled are actually business roundtables that may bring results,” he said. According to Karla, there is demand for replacement parts in agricultural vehicles and equipment.
Both the NSO director and the export manager at Indústrias Colombo believe that the business to be celebrated in Sudan should come from meetings, but not from the fair. “It is an institutional event at which you present your products and make contact, but do not close deals,” said Kalef. Carneiro stated that the fair is an “advertising” instrument. “I see it as advertising, marketing for farmers, as it covers a very broad audience from small-scale to large-scale farmers,” he said.
Other opportunities
The international business executive at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Venâncio Goulart, presented business opportunities that Sudanese companies may make use of in Brazil. He me with companies from Algeria and Egypt at Khartoum International Fair. “They liked receiving information about Brazil and haring that the Arab Brazilian Chamber is in Sudan. They did not expect to make contact with Brazil at the event. It may be a gateway for us,” he said.
Apart from NSO and Indústrias Colombo, the fair also includes construction company Andrade Gutierrez, hospital equipment producer Fanem and trading company Montex. The fair began on Monday (14) and ends on the 21st.
*Translated by Mark Ament
