São Paulo – On Monday (23), the 10th edition of the Djazagro fair begins in Algiers. The fair is for the food sector and, starting this year, includes agricultural machinery. Five Brazilian companies, as well as the Brazilian Beef Industry and Exporters Association (Abiec), should participate in the event with support from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the Embassy of Brazil to Algiers. The fair ends on Thursday (26).
According to the international business executive at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Júlia da Paz, the fair is an opportunity for food producers and traders to increase their sales to the country, which is already a great buyer of Brazilian commodities, like soy and beef.
According to executive director at Abiec, Fernando Sampaio, the meat sector has faced strong competition from India in recent years, but, in the first quarter, has already exported 102% more to Algeria than in the same period last year. Now, the association should travel to the country to strengthen the image of quality of Brazilian beef and show that Brazilian producers follow the regulations for halal slaughter and comply with sanitary demands.
"As we have returned to selling a greater volume and winning the market, we would like to make contact with importers. We will also have meetings with employees of the sanitary sector and will show our guarantees,” said Sampaio.
Producers of agricultural machinery and implements should also benefit from the event, said Paz, as the local government is investing in greater productivity in crops and in the infrastructure of its ports. "They have infrastructure projects and are also developing works at ports to increase the space for storage of products. They are also buying machinery to improve their crops. That opens opportunities for Brazilians.”
Djazagro will receive machinery and agricultural equipment producers Baldan and Kepler Weber, as well as food product trading companies Columbia and Pankommerz, and beef producer Minerva, as well as the Abiec.
Paz believes the event may generate business opportunities both for food sector companies and for producers of machinery. "Brazil may supply well in both sectors. There is a desire to do business. We have what they want and they have been greatly appreciating the fact that Brazil is a strong economy, which has grown to the position of sixth main economy in the world".
The CEO at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, should be in Algeria and Tunisia to sign agreements for promotion of exports between Brazil and these countries and should also visit Djazagro. "The fair should include two sectors in which Brazil is competitive and in which it may supply products to Algerian businessmen,” he said.
Apart from participating in the fair, Brazilian companies will have a parallel agenda which, according to Paz, may also result in contracts. In one of the visits they will make in the country, the trading companies should visit executives at Cevital group, which owns a growing chain of supermarkets.
Brazilian exports to Algeria totalled US$ 1.493 billion in 2011, growth of 78% over 2010. Among the main products exported by Brazil in the period are sugar, soy oil, maize in grain, sugar in bulk, meats and tobacco.
*Translated by Mark Ament
