Marina Sarruf, special envoy*
Dubai – The Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc) expanded on Thursday (02) its list of agreements with international sector organisations with the signing of its second cooperation agreement with an Arab country during a mission by businessmen from the state to the countries of the Gulf. The delegation was organized by the Fiesc and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. The first agreement was signed with the Kuwait Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
The agreement was signed between Fiesc president Alcantaro Corrêa and the director general at the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI), Hamad M. Buamim, at the organization’s offices in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. "Our objective is to promote national and international trade. After signing the agreement, I am interested in organising a mission of businessmen from Dubai to learn about the market in Santa Catarina,” stated Buamim.
The Fiesc already has over 30 international agreements and intends to double this total in 2007. According to Corrêa, after the signing of the agreement with the DCCI, the organization from Santa Catarina will be responsible for the promotion of business by the companies from the state in the United Arab Emirates. “With the boom of the construction sector in Dubai, companies from Santa Catarina have great opportunities in the emirate,” he said.
According to the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, who was also present, the agreement should bring businessmen from both countries closer together economically speaking. “We know that the distance between the Emirates and Brazil is great, but we now live in a global world and there are more facilitators for this closening,” he said.
Exports from the state of Santa Catarina to the Arab countries totalled US$ 133.64 million between January and September this year. The main products shipped were chicken, tiles and ceramics, and iron pipes. The states imports from the Arab market, in turn, totalled US$ 19.43 million. Sardines, phosphoric acid and super phosphates were the main products. “Exports to the region are not yet very great, but the state has great diversity of products that may be exported to the Emirates,” stated Corrêa.
The Brazilian ambassador in the Emirates, Flávio Albuquerque Sapha, the marketing vice president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Rubens Hannun, the director of the business development department at the DCCI, Atiq Juma Faraj Nasib, and the director of the business promotion department at the organization, Sultan M. Lootah, also participated in the ceremony, which also included the businessmen participating in the delegation.
Potential
According to Nasib, who met the delegation at the DCCI, the emirate presents good business opportunities for Brazil. “Dubai is considered a distribution centre to the countries of the Gulf, Europe and Asia. We import from all around the world, we are therefore very competitive,” he said.
Of all the Emirate’s imports, 70% are re-exported. Last year, exports of the Arab country totalled US$ 118.5 billion. Imports in turn totalled US$ 19.1 billion. According to Lootah, investment in construction projects in Dubai should total US$ 100 billion in the next few years.
*Translated by Mark Ament
