São Paulo – The proximity between Gulfood and Muslim holy month Ramadan is expected to fuel cattle deals at the exhibition that has started on Monday (19) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, with a strong Brazilian presence. So says Alexandre de Castro Cunha Carvalho, director of AgroExport, which is exhibiting at the show in a space organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). Pictured, AgroExport’s booth (right corner) at the current edition.
This year’s Ramadan will run from March 10 to April 8 – dates may vary according to the moon calendar – which means we are 21 days away from its beginning and 50 days away from its ending. Last year’s Gulfood and Ramadan had over a month between them. During the sacred period, Muslims fast during the day but have collective, commemorative meals at sundown, thus increasing the demand for foods in their countries.
Carvalho says that, for AgroExport, Gulfood is usually just about maintaining connections and relationships with clients, but he believes that this year’s edition will be different. “As Ramadan is near, we expect to sign some deals still in the exhibition,” he told ANBA.
AgroExport is a Brazilian trading firm that works primarily with live cattle exports. Its headquarters is in the city of Uberaba, Minas Gerais state, but most of its operation is concentrated in the state of Pará, where most animals are from and where they are shipped via the Barcarena Port.
The cattle exported is primarily intended for fattening and slaughter, but some animals are also supplied for genetics. According to Carvalho, the company’s major markets are Arabs – Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt – as well as Turkey. He says the reasons for Muslim countries to opt for buying live cattle include the possibility for them to carry out the halal slaughter themselves and the preference to bring cattle instead of frozen beef.
An ABCC member, AgroExport has participated in Gulfood for five years. Carvalho says that it is a very interesting exhibition, and it is already customary that clients and suppliers meet at the exhibition. In the first day of the exhibition, this Monday, he said he met with both old and new clients. Carvalho believes that he will close deals with markets they already cater to at Gulfood.
The space organized by the ABCC includes 11 companies. There are other Brazilians participating in Gulfood, though, both in individual stands and spaces organized by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, also known as ApexBrasil, poultry lobby ABPA, and beef producers lobby Abiec.
Translation by Guilherme Miranda
