São Paulo – Members of the Brazil-Tunisia Business Council will meet next Tuesday (02) at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, in the city of São Paulo, to discuss the calendar of events of this year and the business expansion goals between both countries. The meeting will be attended by the Tunisian ambassador in Brasília, Sabri Bachtobji.
According to the Arab Chamber Foreign Trade vice president Rubens Hannun, among the topics that could be discussed is the possible Brazilian participation in investment forum and business fairs in the Arab country. Hannun is the president of the council on the Brazilian side.
In Brazil, Tunisian business owners have confirmed their participation in the fair organized by the São Paulo State Supermarkets Association (Apas) to be held from May 02 to 05 in the city of São Paulo. “They are positively coming to Apas”, said Hannun. This will be the third consecutive time that companies from Tunisia will exhibit in the fair with the support of the Arab Chamber.
The members will also suggest a date for a meeting of the whole council in Tunis. The council was originally founded in 2002 but had no activity throughout several years, until it was reactivated in 2015 with the appointment of several new Brazilian and Tunisian members.
Among the goals of the council are to foster the increase and diversification of trade, to strengthen bilateral cooperation, to encourage partnerships and to promote mutual investments.
Trade balance
Exports from Brazil to Tunisia are improving. According to data from the Secretariat of Foreign Trade (Secex), shipments totaled USD 303 million last year, an increase of 27.5% over 2014. The main products shipped were sugar, soy, coffee, maize, soybean oil, tobacco, aluminum, iron and steel.
On the other hand, however, Brazilian imports of Tunisian products declined 20% from 2014 to 2015 and stood at USD 58 million. The main items in the trade list were naphtha, fertilizers, chemical products, textiles products and clothing, electrical material, dates and olive oil.
In the case of olive oil, imports totaled more than USD 1 million in 2015, against only USD 100,000 the previous year. The product is one of the main export items in Tunisia and the focus of promotion actions by the country in its participation in the Apas’ fair.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
