São Paulo – Last Monday (6th), the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex, in the Portuguese acronym) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce discussed a series of actions to be held over the next few months to encourage business between Brazil and the Arab world.
The president of the Apex, Maurício Borges, and its coordinator for Image and Market Access, Ricardo Santana, met in São Paulo with the president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Salim Taufic Schahin, CEO Michel Alaby and vice presidents of the organization to address the “revalidation” of the project maintained by the two institutions.
The activities that the Apex intends to set up before the end of the year include a trade mission to the Gulf headed by the minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Fernando Pimentel. The agency is linked to the ministry. According to Santana, the delegation will represent the food and construction sectors and should travel to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates in October.
This will be the second time in less than a year that the Brazilian government promotes a mission to the region. In November 2010, the then-minister of Development, Miguel Jorge, headed a group of businessmen on a trip to Saudi Arabia, the Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. The delegation also went to Syria.
In partnership with the Arab Brazilian Chamber, the Apex once again wants to promote the Brazilian participation in the Big 5 Show, the leading fair for the building industry in the Middle East, held annually in Dubai, in the Emirates; a Buyer Project (Projeto Comprador) targeting the same industry, aiming to bring importers to Expo Revestir, a trade show for tiles and stones whose next edition will take place in March 2012, in São Paulo; and another Buyer Project, coupled with an Image Project, turned to the food industry.
In the latter case, according to Santana, aside from bringing importers from the Arab world, the idea is to invite opinion makers, such as journalists, for instance, to get to know the Brazilian production, without the visit being necessarily linked to a trade fair. The intention is to devise an exclusive schedule for the group.
Apart from its agreement with the Arab Brazilian Chamber, the Apex is promoting other events in the Middle East in partnership with sector organizations. Such is the case with the Brazilian participation at Index, a furniture and decoration fair held toward the end of the year in Dubai; the Gulfood, a food industry fair also held in the emirate; Saudi Beauty, a cosmetics fair in Saudi Arabia; among others.
“Actions targeting the Arab world are plenty,” said Santana. He underscored that Brazilian exports to the region continue to grow in spite of the political crisis taking place in those countries. The coordinator added that many of the activities held in the Middle East are “continuing,” meaning that they have been taking place for several years.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum