Isaura Daniel*
isaura.daniel@anba.com.br
São Paulo – Producers of marble and granite in Egypt, the Arab country in North Africa, are going to exhibit at Vitória Stone Fair, an international sector fair that begins today (19) in Serra, Espírito Santo. Six companies from Egypt are included in the list of foreign exhibitors at the fair: El Alfy Co. for Marble and Granite, First T.D. CO.S.E for Marble & Granite, Iso Marble – Arab Stone, Kiro Marble For Marble and Granite, Marmonil Marble & Granite and Sinai Marble Company.
Egypt already exports marble and granites to Brazil and has recently been increasing sales. Last year, for example, Egyptian producers exported US$ 822,800 in sector products to the Brazilian market, a 69% rise over the previous year, when purchases totalled US$ 485,600. Egypt is, among the nations of the Arab world, the country that exports the largest volume of marble and granite to Brazil.
Vitória Stone Fair ends on Friday (22). Apart from Egyptian exhibitors, companies from Italy, China, Turkey, Argentina, Switzerland, Peru, Germany, Portugal, France, Spain, India, the United States and Poland should also be represented. Most of the companies that offer their products at the fair, however, are from Brazil itself. The country is one of the main global producers of ornamental stones.
Last year, the sector exported US$ 726 million. Foreign sales answered to 66.4% of product revenues and 57.6% of the volume produced in the country. Figures disclosed by the fair organisers show that Brazil should increase by 30% exports of ornamental stones up to 2011. The state of Espírito Santo, where the fair takes place, is the main producer and also the main exporter in the sector.
Vitória Stone Fair takes place at the Carapina Exhibition Park and should include 400 exhibitor companies. Apart from producers of stones, the fair should also include sector technology and input companies. The exhibition in Espírito Santo is normally an exhibition site for tendencies in ornamental stone. The organisers hope that the fair contribute to increase exports, as the visitors should include importers.
The promoters of Vitória Stone Fair are Espírito Santo Ornamental Stone Union (Sindirochas-ES) and the Technological Centre of Marble and Granite (Cetemag).
Vitória Stone Fair
From February 19 to 22
Carapina Exhibition Park – Serra – ES
From 10:00 am to 06:00 pm
Information: milaneze@milanezmilaneze.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
