Isaura Daniel*
São Paulo – The Brazilian Textile and Apparel Industry Association (Abit) and the Embassy of Egypt are going to promote a seminar about bilateral relations in the textile area between Brazil and the Arab country on August 22. The seminar will take place in São Paulo. The objective, according to the superintendent director at the Abit, Fernando Pimentel, is to discuss business possibilities in the sector between both countries. The meeting will take place at the offices of the Abit, between 02:00 pm and 05:30 pm. Pimentel recalls that Brazil has the sixth largest textile industry in the world, and that Egypt is a producer of quality inputs for the sector.
The Arab country is globally renowned for its production of long and extra long staple cotton, which results in very fine threads and gives the fabric a very light touch. According to the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby, who will speak at the event, Egypt may sell to Brazil greater volumes of its cotton, as well as bed, table and bath linen, and Brazil may export short and medium staple cotton to Egypt, which imports the product from countries like Pakistan and India, as well as cotton products. Brazil may also sell other inputs to Egypt, like nylon, said Alaby.
The commercial consul of Egypt in São Paulo, Mohamed Bakri Agami, one of the speakers at the event, stated that he is going to invite Brazilian companies to establish partnerships with Egyptian companies in the sector. Brazil and Egypt are already increasing trade relations, also in the textile area. Between January and July this year, bilateral trade between both countries reached US$ 771.3 million, an increase of 50% over the same period in 2005. Brazilian imports of Egyptian cotton grew 132% in the first half of the year when compared to the same months last year, those of threads grew 37.8% and those of fabrics, 119%.
The cotton produced in Egypt and Brazil is included in the talks at the seminar. The president of the Brazilian Association of Cotton Farmers, João Carlos Jacobsen Rodrigues, should discuss the international cotton market, Abdel Mansour, president of trading company Lotas, which operates in the sector, should discuss the production of Egyptian cotton, and the president of company Bonduki Bonfio, Alfredo Bonduki, should discuss the properties of long staple and extra long staple fibres.
Other themes to be discussed will be trade integration between Brazil and Egypt, to be covered by Agami, the part played by the Arab Brazilian Chamber in Brazil and the Arab market, by Alaby, and professional training and the new concept of the Brazilian textile industry, addressed by the director of the Textile department of the National Service of Industrial Education (Senai), Fernando da Silva Afonso. The opening of the event will be by Fernando Pimentel.
According to Pimentel, the Abit is promoting a series of meetings of the kind with different countries. A similar event has already taken place to discuss relations with China and another is scheduled to discuss trade with Paraguay. Last year, the Arab Brazilian Chamber promoted an Egyptian cotton exhibition. To participate in the seminar of August 22, those interested may register up to August 18.
Service
Brazil x Egypt Bilateral Seminar
August 22
From 02:00 pm to 05:30 pm
Site: Abit
Registration: (+55 11) 3823-6192 or by e-mail antonio.carlos@abit.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament