Marina Sarruf*
São Paulo – Libya imports 75% of the food it consumes, a trade that has a turnover of US$ 5 billion a year. The information was collected by the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby, who met yesterday with the executive director at the Libyan Business Council, Isa Ayad Babaa, in Tripoli, capital of the Arab country. Alaby is in Libya to learn about Project Libya 2006, a fair in the energy and infrastructure sector that goes on up to Thursday (07).
On analysing these figures, Alaby stated that the food sector in Libya is one of those presenting the greatest business potential for Brazil. Except for meats, of which 95% already come from Brazil, other foods are supplied mainly by Italy, Spain, Turkey and Tunisia.
Apart from the food produced in Brazil, the Arab country is also interested in medical-hospital products, cosmetics, furniture, auto parts, veterinary products and construction material.
"Libya is investing large volumes in infrastructure, mainly in houses, hotels, resorts, highways and bridges. The investment forecasted for the next five years is US$ 12 billion," stated Alaby. Another point observed by him is that the participation of the private sector in the economy of the Arab country has been growing considerably, nowadays representing around 40% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Alaby added that Babaa hopes to receive in February 2007 a delegation of Brazilian businessmen to participate in Tripoli International Fair, which is multi-sectorial. Babaa also intends to organize business roundtables among Brazilian and Libyan businessmen.
Project Libya
The theme of Project Libya 2006 is "Development and the Construction of the Future". The fair covers an area of 4,000 square metres and counts on 96 companies from 39 countries, like the United States, Canada, Italy, Spain, Germany, China, Switzerland, Japan, Malaysia, Egypt and Philippines. "This is a fair that demonstrates the potential of Libyan oil exports and of the infrastructure sector," said Alaby.
According to him, in the area of infrastructure the exhibitors are makers of heavy agricultural machinery, industrial air conditioning, construction material, electric cable systems for railways, desalination equipment, irrigation products and material for water and sewage networks.
In the energy sector, the event counts on makers of equipment for the control of oil systems, corrosion and protection of wells and refineries. It also includes producers of piping, technology for exploration of gas, equipment for transport of oil and derivatives, among others. According to Alaby, the largest companies in the sector of exploration of oil are participating in the fair, among them Texaco, Shell and Agip.
"I missed Petrobras, as they have projects in Libya," he said. The Brazilian state-owned oil company won last year a tender for the exploration of oil in the Arab country.
*Translated by Mark Ament
