São Paulo – The year of 2011 promises to mark a phase of recovery for Brazilian organic products. The 74 companies that are members of the Organics Brasil project should have revenues of approximately US$ 43 millon on the foreign market up to December. That means recovery of the same volume of revenues as registered in 2009. The group ended the first half of 2010 with sales of US$ 12 million abroad.
"We were pleased with the result for the first half, as it shows return to growth of business. Due to the global crisis, companies adopted a conservative posture and reduced stocks,” said the executive coordinator of the Organics Brasil Project, Ming Liu. "As the market maintained demand, companies decided to participate in the three main international fairs in the sector in the second half of the year. That should result in good business,” he said.
Companies in the group are going to participate in Biofach Japan, from September 21st to 23rd, in Tokyo, in Biofach America, from October 14th to 16th, in Boston, United States, and in Biofach Latin America, from November 3rd to 5th, in São Paulo, Brazil.
According to Liu, the current focus of Organics is in greater exports of higher value-added products, like cosmetics, especially those made from raw materials of the Amazon. Commodities, in turn, like sugar, coffee and soy, managed to maintain stability for the market. "Brazil is already a global reference as a supplier of these products,” he said.
According to him, there are currently eight priority markets for the project: Canada, the United States, Japan, South Korea, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. "In South Korea and the United Kingdom, we have not yet developed any commercial promotion. We are still studying the best strategy,” he explained.
The Arab markets are also considered potential markets for the group. “We developed promotional activities in Dubai in February 2008, together with fruit, wine, meats, sweets and biscuits. Our plan is to proceed with the development of that market with some companies at the Menope fair, in November 2011", he pointed out. It is turned to natural products and should take place in Dubai.
The main markets abroad are currently Germany, the United States, France and Canada. Liu also pointed out that the domestic market is also showing signs of recovery, as sales of tropical fruit, like assai and nuts, have grown.
About the project
Organics Brasil was established to promote Brazilian organic products on the international market, bringing together companies and producers around a single brand. It is the result of a partnership between the Development Promotion Institute (IPD) and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil).
*Translated by Mark Ament
