São Paulo – Ambassador Hassine Bouzid (pictured above, on the right), the chairman of the Brazil-Tunisia Business Council, told ANBA that during a meeting in Tunis last week, the body decided to carry out actions designed to encourage bilateral trade over the next two years. Bouzid chairs the Council on Tunisia’s side, while Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce president Rubens Hannun (pictured above, on the left), who also attended the meeting, is the Brazilian chairman.
Planned actions include having Tunisians join the 2019 São Paulo Supermarkets Association Trade Show (Apas Show). Their trip will be arranged by Tunisia’s Ministry of Trade. Tunisian entrepreneurs showcased their goods during the past editions of the trade show at a stand organized by the Arab Chamber.
The Council has also decided to have a Brazilian week in Tunis next year, and a Tunisian week in São Paulo, Brazil in 2020.
“The meeting allowed us to lay down the guidelines for the Council’s upcoming work,” said Bouzid, a former ambassador of Tunisia to Brazil. The next meeting will take place in São Paulo in 2019, concurrently with the Apas Show. The Brazil-Tunisia Business council meeting was wrapped up by the vice president of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (Utica), Hichem Elloumi (pictured above, in the center).
As reported by ANBA last Friday, the Brazilian delegates also met in Tunis with the secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Sabri Bachtobji, who has also served a stint as ambassador in Brazil. Brazil’s foreign minister Aloysio Nunes visited Tunisia on Friday.
Brazil’s exports to Tunisia are on their way up. From January to June, sales exceeded USD 175 million, up 40.6% year-on-year. Brazil’s imports from Tunisia slid by 5.7% to USD 13.27 million.
Top-selling goods from Tunisia to Brazil include electric material, olive oil, phosphate, clothing and dates. Top-selling goods from Brazil to Tunisia include sugar, soybeans, coffee, maize oil and flat-rolled iron and steel. The numbers are from the Brazilian Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
