São Paulo – Approximately 70 businessmen from the state of Rio Grande do Sul attended a seminar on trade relations between Brazil and the Arab countries this Wednesday (18th) at the headquarters of the Federation of Industries of the State of Rio Grande do Sul (Fiergs). More than gaining greater knowledge of the reality of the Middle East and North Africa, the entrepreneurs expressed their interest in attracting investment into the state and in investing in the region. The event, which counts on support from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, was part of a visit that the Council of Arab Ambassadors to Brazil is paying to Rio Grande do Sul this week, alongside the ambassador of the League of Arab States to Brazil, Bachar Yagui.
According to the supervisor of the Fiergs’ International Business Centre (CIN, in the Portuguese acronym), Kurt Ziegler, the businessmen from Rio Grande do Sul want to do business with Arab investors. “In the past, we were concerned with promoting trade. Now we have two opportunities: promoting trade and attracting investment. The industry of the state is aware of the potential and the demand of the Arab world,” says Ziegler.
During the seminar, the Arab Brazilian Chamber CEO, Michel Alaby, gave a talk on Arab countries and investment in the region, in sectors such as trade and tourism. Although he spoke on the characteristics of virtually all Middle Eastern and North African countries, Alaby claims that the Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Iraq attracted the most attention from the audience. “They were interested in learning more about those countries, investment-wise,” he says.
Companies such as Aeromot, which operates in small aircraft manufacturing and aircraft maintenance, generator manufacturer Stemac, and rubber parts manufacturer Frenzel have shown interest in speaking to some of the 14 ambassadors currently visiting Rio Grande do Sul. “Businessmen are beginning to open themselves up to partnerships with Arab investors,” stated Ziegler. The visitors include diplomats from Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Oman, Morocco, Kuwait, Egypt, Palestine, Tunisia, Qatar and Sudan.
According to Alaby, the sector that attracted the most attention of would-be exporters to the Arab world is civil construction. Among those who wish to import goods, fertilizers and chemicals concentrated the bulk of questions during the seminar.
From January to April 2010, Rio Grande do Sul exported US$ 295.8 million worth of products to the Arab League countries. During the same period this year, sales have reached US$ 659.5 million. The main products shipped from the state to the Arabs this year include wheat, poultry and soy oil. In the whole of last year, bilateral trade between Rio Grande do Sul and the Arab League countries reached US$ 2.6 billion.
The visit of the ambassadors to Rio Grande do Sul will continue this Wednesday (18th). They will watch a presentation on Marcopolo, a bus body manufacturer based in the state that operates in the Arab world, and should meet with the state governor, Tarso Genro, and with the mayor of Porto Alegre, José Fortunati.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
