São Paulo – Representatives of public and private sector of Brazil’s state of Goiás are seeking to increase trade with Arab countries. To learn about the most promising industries, they met with representations of halal certifiers and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) on Thursday (27). The meeting took place online as part of Goiás-Arab Countries Forum: Opportunities for Partnerships and Business.
Opening the event, ABCC president ambassador Osmar Chohfi talked from Dubai, where he accompanies the ABCC mission to the United Arab Emirates. “This event is particularly relevant as it launches a partnership with the state of Goiás, a well-known halal protein producer,” Chohfi said.
ABCC Market Intelligence manager Marcus Vinícius pointed forms of sale that have been boosted by new habits. “In e-commerce, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the UAE account for 80% [of sales]. Therefore, there’s an opportunity for Goiás to export industrialized products to sell online in these markets,” he said. Industries with an online sales potential include, he says, cosmetics and footwear.
Discussions revolved around the significance of certifications and how to bring this information to micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises. Talking about his experience with this market, a guest speaker was Uthman Wahdan, international sales coordinator of Gelnex. The Nazário, Goiás-based company is a gelatin producer. “I don’t see certificates as an obstacle. It comes to make things easier,” the businessman pointed out.
Both Tiago Freitas de Mendonça, secretary of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply of the State of Goiás, and Plínio Viana, superintendent of International Investment Attraction of the Secretariat of Industry and Commerce of the State of Goiás, stressed the need to connect farmers and factories to halal certification. “Information has become more accessible so we can spread to businesspeople. The graph showing the growth of the halal-consuming population that consumes halal products convinces the businesspeople,” he pointed out the number brought by Vinícius on the expectation of the increase of the global Muslim population.
The event also featured Ronaldo Costa, manager of National and International Technology Trade Show and Event Organization at the Secretariat of Development and Innovation of the State of Goiás (SEDI); Alexandre César, superintendent of International Business at the Secretariat of Development and Innovation of the State of Goiás; Ali Saifi, CEO of CIDAL Halal; and Omar Chahine, of CDIAL Halal. Discussions were moderated by Marcos Dias, manager of Foreign Trade of SEDI, and Adriana Cordeiro, coordinator of Internationalization at 4.0 Associationism Program of the National Confederation of Micro- and Small-Sized Enterprises.
The forum is available at the YouTube channel of the Secretariat of Development and Innovation of Goiás.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
