Isaura Daniel, special envoy*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
Dubai – In the emirate of Dubai, 16 Brazilian companies already own offices or some sort of operation. The information was supplied by a member of the board of directors at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hisham Abdullah Al Shirawi. Yesterday (25th), at the head offices of the organisation, the businessman received leaders of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce who are in the Gulf on a business mission, and also to accompany the Brazilian participation in the Big 5 Show, a trade fair for the construction sector that began yesterday in Dubai. According to a statement given by Al Shirawi to ANBA, the Brazilian companies in Dubai operate in fields such as foodstuffs, tourism, and capital goods.
Companies that already own operations in Dubai include Embraer, the Brazilian aircraft manufacturer, Sadia and Perdigão, for foodstuffs, Marcopolo, a maker of bus bodies, and Tramontina, for domestic utensils. The Brazilian presence in Dubai and trade between the emirate and the country were the subjects of Al Shirawi’s meeting with the Arab Brazilian Chamber representatives. According to the Arab businessman, Brazil is currently Dubai’s 33rd largest trade partner. The president at the Chamber, Antonio Sarkis Jr., who was present at the meeting, stated that Brazil is capable of increasing its flow of trade with the emirate.
“According to economic surveys, within five years Brazil should be the world’s fifth largest economy. The trade that exists today is already significant, but we are not satisfied by being Dubai’s 33rd trade partner. If we are going to be the world’s fifth economy, then we must be at least the fifth trade partner with Dubai,” Sarkis told Al Shirawi. The Arab leader agreed with Sarkis. Al Shirawi claimed that one of the sectors in which trade might increase is construction. “The construction sector in Dubai is growing fast. Many Brazilian companies have good experience in the field, and they might contribute to this construction boom,” he said.
He also mentioned foodstuffs, a sector that, according to Al Shirawi, needs to develop in the Gulf and in Dubai. Brazilian companies, he suggests, could bring their products to Dubai, process them in the emirate, and send them from the emirate to other nearby regions, such as Africa. Al Shirawi claimed that Brazil is a large producer of foodstuffs, such as vegetables and fruits. The representative of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry displayed vast knowledge of the Brazilian economy. “Brazil has industries, natural products, the volume of trade with Dubai can be much larger than it is,” he said during the meeting with Arab Brazilian Chamber leaders.
“Today, we came here and heard them (the Arabs) talk about the potential that Brazil has,” Sarkis told ANBA, mentioning the growth in relations between Brazil and the Arab world that took place in recent years. Al Shirawi also displayed knowledge of Brazilian politics and finance. “I had the honour of being in the delegation that received Lula in Dubai. I became aware of the life story of the president of Brazil, it was an honour to receive this man who worked his way up from the bottom,” he said, regarding the trip that Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, president of Brazil, took to the Emirates in 2003.
“Brazil has potential to go much further in terms of trade with Dubai. I was surprised with the fact that the government was able to pay the country’s debts,” said Al Shirawi. Sarkis told his interlocutor that Brazil is leaving its position as a loan-taker to becoming an international creditor within a short time span. Besides Sarkis, also participating in the meeting were the Marketing vice-president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Rubens Hannun, the secretary-general, Michel Alaby, director Wladimir Rafik Freua, and the presidency advisor at the organisation, Zein El-Abdine Said. The general advisor at the Dubai Chamber, Nizar Sardast, was in attendance as well.
The group also discussed the increase in collaboration between the two chambers. According to Sarkis, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is recording a growing demand from different sectors in the country that are interested in carrying out market prospecting and missions in the emirate. The leaders of the two organisations talked about how they could increase cooperation so as to cater to this demand.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
