Geovana Pagel, special envoy
Rio de Janeiro – Tunisian businessman Abdessalem Loued, a member of the Brazil-Tunisia Business Council and director of Lexi Olive Oil, one of the main producers and exporters of olive oil in his country, believes in the possibility of a significant increase in bilateral trade.
True, business between both countries is rising at a fast rhythm. Between January and August this year, bilateral trade (export plus import) has totalled US$ 124.2 million and has already exceeded the 2003 total, which was US$ 98.6 million.
In the first eight months of 2004, Brazilian export to Tunisia has already generated US$ 78 million, a growth of 172% in comparison to the same period last year. Import has risen 148% in the same period and reached US$ 46.2 million up to August.
The business council was created in 2002 with the objective of providing incentives to bilateral trade. At the end of the same year, the group met for the first time during a Brazilian trade mission to Tunisia.
According to Loued, the Tunisian businessmen represent sectors like food, and mechanical, electrical, and tourist equipment. One of the first measures taken by the organization was preparation of a market study to identify the main Tunisian products with potential for export to Brazil.
The second council meeting, which took place in April this year at the offices of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), defined that businessmen from Arab countries would have an exclusive stand during the 34th Expo Abras 2004, the supermarket sector fair that ended yesterday (16) in Rio de Janeiro. The next meeting will take place between the months of March and April 2005, in Tunisia.
Olive oil
Loued was one of the Arab businessmen who participated in the CCAB stand at Expo Abras, and he explained why he chose Brazil to sell his products. "I already knew that olive oil has good acceptance and is also a very competitive product in Brazil. I am absolutely sure that I will be able to sell olive oil under my brand in the country," he said.
The company is going to develop a brand and a package exclusively for the Brazilian market. "I hope to manage to put it on the Brazilian market regularly as from the beginning of next year," he said.
According to Loued, Brazilian companies want to purchase small quantities, but as he now has a local representative, this is no longer a problem. "I am very pleased because the representative has already been defined and while we are developing exclusive packaging for Brazil, he will already be publicising the product here," he explained.
Regarding his participation at Expo Abras, Loued stated that the contacts were many, especially with supermarket owners who liked the product very much. "But only in coming months will I be certain that the contacts have become concrete sales," he said.
