Isaura Daniel
São Paulo – Around 50 Brazilian companies participated yesterday (26) in the first day of business roundtables promoted by the Algerian embassy in Brazil and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), at Hotel Blue Tree Towers Convention Centre, in São Paulo, the largest city in Brazil, located in the southeast of the country. The roundtables are part of the schedule of the official Algerian mission of businessmen and government members during its visit to Brazil.
Around 90 commercial contacts were made between Brazilian companies and the 13 Algerian companies present. Producers and service providers from various Brazilian sectors sent their representatives with catalogues and products to Blue Tree Towers. Businessmen in the Arab country were impressed with what they saw. Many have already shown interest in doing business.
Etrev, an Algerian trading company that imports machinery and agricultural products, for example, was interested in products by two Brazilian factories of equipment for the sector, Baldan and Nogueira. "The companies made good offers. We are interested in buying," stated Etrev director, Bachir Brahma.
Etrev has a turnover of around US$ 5 million a year in imports and exports, and only buys Brazilian products through intermediaries in Europe, which, according to Brahma, should change from now on. The trading company has never imported Brazilian products. "This will be the first time," stated Brahma. The largest Etrev machinery suppliers are the French, Italian, and Spanish.
Nogueira, a company in which Etrev was interested, produces machinery for production of animal feed, including equipment for hay processing and silos. The company is based in the city of Itapira, in the interior of the state of São Paulo, and participated in the roundtables invited by the CCAB. Nogueira has revenues of around US$ 15 million a year and exports to over 40 countries.
The company has already participated in two fairs in the Arab countries, in Algeria and Syria. At the fair in Algiers, the company made its first sale to the country. "We are looking for a distributor in Algeria," stated the agronomist responsible for the Nogueira Export Department, André Luiz Verardi.
Invicta Brazil
Other Brazilian companies interested in selling their products at the business roundtables were trading company Invicta Brazil, representing Vicon, a producer of fertilizers and sowing machinery, and Colombo Internacional, a producer of peanut and bean harvesters. "Algeria needs agricultural machinery and Brazil has great technology in this area," stated trader Tarek Sarout, who participated in the roundtables. "The Brazilian products have quality similar to that of North American and European products, and prices around 30% lower," he explained.
Among the Algerian companies, one of those present was construction company Enterprise Construction Khechroud. The company is after partnerships with Brazilian construction companies for the construction of popular housing in Algeria. The Algerian government has released a program for the construction of one million homes between the yeas of 2005 and 2008. "The Brazilian companies have large knowledge in the area," stated Khechroud president Ziad Mebarki.
In Algeria at least three universities and Algiers international airport were designed by famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer. Khechroud has revenues of US$ 20 million a year, and has 350 employees.
Algiers Bank
The Algerian Bank of Agriculture & Rural Development, connected to the federal government, has also sent a representative, Yamina Bensmaine, head of the South America department, on the mission. The bank intends to improve its ties with Brazilian organizations to simplify and speed up the issue of letters of credit for trade between Brazil and Algeria. Yamina visited ABC Brazil, a bank controlled by Arab Banking Corporation, based in Bahrain, and also intends to meet representatives of Spanish bank Santander.
The Brazilian business roundtables continue at Hotel Blue Tree Towers Convention Centre this morning (27), from 09:00 am to 01:00 pm, and in the afternoon, from 03:00 am to 06:00 pm. On Monday (30) they will be in the city of Rio de Janeiro, also in southeastern Brazil.
Council
Yesterday evening the Brazil Algeria Business Council was established at the CCAB offices. The organization, to work on increasing and simplifying trade relations between both countries, will include 16 members, eight on each side, representing sectors like tourism, food and agricultural products, industry in general, construction, public constructions and habitation, science and technology, energy, services, and health.
The next organization meeting will take place in Algeria in the first half of 2005, and topics to be discussed include lines of credit, loan guarantees for business between both countries, transport, and freight.
“The council will be the best method for us to proceed together,” stated the vice president of the Algerian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hadjan Hussein.
