São Paulo – A plastics industry complex in Oman is seeking Brazilian companies interested in manufacturing product in the Arab country. A delegation from the Ladayn Polymer Park is meeting in São Paulo this Monday (18) and Tuesday (19) with executives from businesses potentially willing to join the park. The group was welcomed by leadership at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, which is supporting them in liaising with businesses and associations in Brazil.
Ladayn Polymer Park head Mundhar Al Rawahi told ANBA that the goal of the park is to have process industries locally manufacture plastic finished goods using raw materials from the Oman-based company OQ and then sell domestically and across the region. “By doing this, we will reduce imports of finished plastic products, which will definitely boost the Omani economy, creating more jobs for Omanis and reaching our Vision 2040 targets,” he said, referencing the government’s economic and social development strategy.
Work is being done to promote the park in several different countries, and Brazil is not a random inclusion. Rawahi notes that the choice was driven by the large number of plastic conversion businesses in the country. “We also believe this will be an opportunity for Brazilian companies to make their way into the Middle Eastern market and benefit from our free trade agreements,” he said regarding Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arab countries’ agreements as well as nearby markets such as China, India, and Pakistan.
Available benefits include raw material pricing and rebates, since suppliers are close by, and the ease in getting land in the nearby Madayn industrial area or the Sohar Freezone. “We provide an incentive package to all investors,” says Rawahi. According to him, Oman is well-known for the low cost of utilities such as electricity and water, a very simple tax structure, and exemptions to investors.
The Ladayn Polymer Park concept was created a year and a half ago, and 16 businesses have joined since, a successful outcome in terms of the region, according to Rawahi. Two of those are already in production, and the remainder are at different stages of their rollouts. The park is a joint venture between several mostly government-run Omani entities and OQ, facilitated by the Omani Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Investment Promotion.
At the Arab Chamber
The group was welcomed to the Arab Chamber by president Osmar Chohfi, secretary general Mohamad Orra Mourad, and Institutional Relations analyst Elaine Prates. Rawahi was accompanied by the Business Development managers Sheikha Al Rahbi and Hayat Al Ghassani and the consultant Abdullah Al Saidi. The group had a meeting with the Arab Chamber’s head of International Consulting Karen Mizuta and New Business director Estevão Margotti de Carvalho.
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