São Paulo – Processed foods, dates and date honey, perfume; electric and electronic items like phones, TVs and computers; ships and boats, plastics, machinery, aluminum. Dubai sells all of those and much more to Brazil, said Dubai Exports deputy CEO Mohammed Kamali while visiting the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce this Tuesday (7).
“We already have a very diverse export portfolio and we have been active in Latin America and Brazil for ten years now. Our plans are for the long run,” Kamali told ANBA. Dubai Exports has an office in São Paulo and plans to open other branches across Latin America, although no sites or dates have been disclosed at this point.
“Brazil is a hub into Latin America and a very important market for us,” said Kamali, who’s in São Paulo to attend Apas Show, the supermarket industry exhibition, and business meetings. Before travelling to Brazil, he had been to Chile. Kamali will be heading for Buenos Aires, Argentina tonight.
When it comes to Latin America, Kamali said what’s important for Dubai Exports is not so much to create a specific product for a given audience as much as to sell the variety of existing products in the UAE through sales segmentation techniques. “For example, Brazil is a major food producer, and yet we sell food to Brazil – unique items like sweets and dates that don’t get produced here,” he explained.
Kamali said he intends to attend more events in Brazil. “We are meeting with Brazilian buyers, importers, investors and we have a successful track record from going to Apas Show (this is the organization’s fourth straight year in the show), working with the Arab Chamber. We have also been traveling more to different states like Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Minas Gerais,” the executive said.
Kamali also said that the agency works to promote Brazil as a market for exporting companies in Dubai. “We will produce reports on how to work the Brazilian market, and we try to showcase the cultural diversity and the opportunities, as well as the major economic hubs. It’s such a big country with so much potential, and our entrepreneurs must be made aware that there’s so much more to Brazil besides São Paulo, Brasília and Rio de Janeiro,” he concluded.
As per Arab Chamber numbers, Brazil imported USD 561.44 million worth of goods from the UAE, with fuel products alone accounting for USD 320 million. The remainder included fertilizers, sulfur, aluminum, electric and electronic items, machinery, glass and synthetic fiber.
Exports from Brazil to the UAE amounted to over USD 2 billion, including mostly poultry, sugar, iron ores, beef, precious stones, aviation fuel, and pipes and turbines for oil and gas extraction.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
