São Paulo – Representatives of the dairy industry of the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, gathered in an online meeting on Wednesday (4) to discuss opportunities for exporting to Egypt. Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) secretary-general Tamer Mansour was featured in the event and identified opportunities for exporting value-added products. The meeting was streamed live and is available here.
The discussion was part of a series of seminars hosted by the government of Minas Gerais through the state secretariats for Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, and Economic Development. The events were organized in partnership with the Federation of the Industries of the state of Minas Gerais (Fiemg) and the Employers’ Union of Dairy Industry of Minas Gerais (Silemg).
Mansour highlighted processed products like cheese among the Arab demands. “Some opportunities we’ve seen of products that can be exported from Minas Gerais [to all Arab countries] are fresh cheeses, soft cheeses, and unconcentrated and sweetened milk and cream,” said Mansour, who also invited the businesspeople to attend the online B2B focused on foodstuffs that the organization will host.
The event was opened by Brazil’s ambassador to Cairo, Antonio Patriota. The diplomat believes trade has developed positively. “Imports has significantly grown, which helps the Egyptian private sector to be more interested in cooperating [with Brazil] and see it as complementary,” Patriota said.
The Arab country’s economy has shown good indicators. “Economy-wise, Egypt stands out for being in a very select group of countries that didn’t fall into recession during the pandemic. Despite the impact on tourism, the gross domestic product was up by 3% last year, and it’s expected to remain positive. This is a proof of the strength of the Egyptian economy,” the ambassador pondered.
Moderation was handled by Alexandre Brito of Fiemg. Diplomat Victória Balthar, an advisor to Brazil’s Embassy in Cairo, addressed the benefits of Egypt-Mercosur Agreement and potential competitive edges. Lecturers also included the head of the Dubai office of Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), Karen Jones, who delved into the promotion activities for the Egyptian market, and Brazil’s agricultural attaché in Egypt, César Teles, who discussed the dairy consumption profile in the North African country.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
