São Paulo – Feeding the world and bringing about economic development combined with sustainability. This is one of the world’s current challenges and was the topic of a session in this Sunday (3)’s Brazil-UAE: Amazon Economic Forum held by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in Dubai in parallel to the world exhibition Expo 2020.
The director of the Department for the Promotion of Agribusiness of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil, Alexandre Peña Ghisleni (pictured above) addressed the topic when opening the panel Cooperation between the United Arab Emirates and Brazil in Food Security and Sustainable Development that he participated in remotely. He believes that the challenge of the demographic shift, food security and limited resources can be overcome with international cooperation.
According to Ghisleni, Brazil is in a good position to participate in this. “We have the potential to sustainably expand production and doing so through science and innovation by increasing productivity and recovering lands,” he said. Because sustainably assuring food security is a challenge taken very seriously, the director said.
He said the key to successfully providing food in a sustainable manner is science and innovation. Ghisleni argued for a joint effort between Brazil and UAE to reach this goal and suggested that the bioeconomy could be a path towards sustainable production. He wants to carry on the talks on the topic with the private sector and governments.
Food and Agriculture College at UAE University vice dean Mohammed Alyafei indicated that his country wants to see sustainability across the whole industry of the foods it consumes. “Sustainability is a commitment we have that is combined with development,” the scholar said. Alyafei said the UAE wants to ensure a sustainable system taking into account environmental, social and economic aspects. “We have to produce more while considering the environment,” he said.
The vice dean added the Arab country has a climate change plan 2017-2050 to mitigate the risks and adapt agriculture to the phenomenon. Pointing out the coming world demographic growth, Alyafei mentioned agriculture as an emission factor and a solution, too. “Agriculture is part of the problem and part of the solution in climate change and production sustainability,” he said. The vice dean believes the use of cutting-edge technology must be strategic to produce more and more sustainably.
ABCC secretary-general and CEO Tamer Mansour moderated the session and told Alyafei that the UAE is progressing down many paths. “We could progress together,” he said. The secretary-general pointed out that the UAE has grown as a destination of exports from Brazil and not just because of the country’s consumption but because the country is an export hub.
Halal is already sustainable
Mansour said that, as a supplier to the UAE export hub, Brazil is concerned with providing halal raw materials and products. Halal means fit for Muslim consumption. Halal certification executives attending the forum said the halal is in itself sustainable.
“Today we practice sustainability through halal as we’ve always had, since the beginning, and we keep practicing it because it’s by respecting the environment that we can reach a better future, a better world,” said Federation of Muslim Associations in Brazil (FAMBRAS) chair Mohamed Zoghbi.
Certifier Cdial Halal CEO Ali Saifi said Brazil has shown its capacity of continuous improvement. He said that there have been many changes in the requirements around halal certification over the last years and that now they are no longer just about religion but sustainability, traceability, quality, and animal welfare as well. “I believe we’re in the right path,” Saifi said, arguing for the production and supply of higher value-added products from Brazil in addition to commodities.
Elite Agro
Due to the size of the country’s production, Brazil is a sought-after partner for Arab companies that operate with agribusiness. UAE-based food production and distribution company Elite Agro spoke a little about its relationship with Brazil. The company’s managing director Abdulmonem Al Marzooqi said that Elite Agro buys poultry and tropical fruit from Brazil. He mentioned other partnerships such as a Brazilian institute trying to help the UAE to solve issues with its date trees.
Halal tourism
National secretary for Attraction of Investments, Partnerships and Concessions of the Ministry of Tourism of Brazil, Débora Moraes da Cunha Gonçalves, participated in the panel, too, and spoke about the Brazilian interest in attracting Arab and Muslim tourists, as well as investments from Arab businesspeople in tourist developments in Brazil. The secretary believes that restaurants and big resorts in Brazil could easily adapt to halal to receive Muslim tourists. Tamer Mansour said that Brazil demosntrated during the World Cup and the Olympics that were held in the country in 2014 and 2016, respectively, how it is capable of welcoming tourists.
Forum
The forum was held by the ABCC in partnership with the Ministry of Economy of the UAE, the Federation of UAE Chambers of Commerce and Industry, the Embassy of Brazil in the UAE, and the Dubai Chamber. The discussions took place in the Conrad Hotel in Dubai.
Read more on the Brazil – UAE Amazon Economic Sustainability Forum:
- Brazil, UAE could grow together through innovation
- Sharjah seeks investments in green technology
- JBS Fund for Amazon plans on raising BRL 1 billion by 2030
- Brazil – UAE partnership overcame COVID’s challenges
Watch the full event on YouTube:
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
