São Paulo – Brazil’s Agriculture minister Blairo Maggi will lead a Brazilian delegation to Agriscape –International Exhibition on Agricultural Investments Abroad on October 29 and 30 in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.
“Agriscape will see Middle East investors and investment funds converge over two days, and minister Maggi will be there alongside Brazilian companies that are looking for investment for their projects,” said the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply’s International Promotion Department director Evaldo da Silva Júnior.
According to him, the Ministry has a data bank of 180 projects in different agribusiness industry sectors that are potentially appealing to foreign investors, including farming, livestock, agroindustry, and bioenergy. “These are projects in every field of agribusiness and across Brazil,” said Silva.
Maggi will deliver a lecture on Brazilian agribusiness and present a portfolio of projects compiled by the Mministry. Investors from the region, Ministry officials, executives and industry organizations will get together for a B2B event.
Agriscape will be held by Food Security Center Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Food Security Alliance, and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
Food security is a key issue in the region, since the Gulf countries aren’t self-sufficient in food production and rely on imports to meet their needs. One way to ensure said needs are met is to invest in agricultural projects overseas.
Prior to the event, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture will make an online version of its portfolio available to would-be investors on its website, and for Brazilian industry players to add new projects.
Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported that last year, Agriscape (pictured above) saw AED 4 billion (over USD 1 billion) in deals. It featured 51 exhibitors from 40 countries and 300 “buyers” – i.e. delegates from funds, companies and other prospective investors.
Other actions
According to Silva, the trip to Abu Dhabi is part of a bigger mission from Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) which will also include Singapore, China and Japan. Maggi, however, will only go to Agriscape and China International Import Expo (CIIE), in Shanghai, from November 2 to 11.
The Agriculture Ministry will be back in Abu Dhabi at a later date for the SIAL Middle East food industry show, which will feature 17 Brazilian exhibitors and investment sessions.
More on the Brazilian Agriculture Ministry mission
International Agribusiness Promotion Department
Phone: +55 61 3218-2425
Email: evaldo.junior@agricultura.gov.br
Agriscape website: www.agriscapeuae.com
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
