São Paulo – The governor of the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, Luiz Henrique da Silveira, wants to promote a trade mission to the United Arab Emirates in November this year. The subject was discussed last Friday (27th) in the capital Florianópolis, during a meeting between the governor, the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates to the Brazilian capital Brasília, Youssuf Ali Al-Usaimi, and the secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby.
"He wants to travel with a delegation of businessmen to visit Dubai and Abu Dhabi," the ambassador told ANBA. "And he will be very welcome. We are going to organise visits to organisations, such as chambers of commerce and tourism departments, as well as business meetings for the businessmen," he stated.
The trip should take place in November, so as to coincide with the Big 5 Show, a trade fair for the construction sector held in Dubai that will count on Brazilian participation, organised by the Arab Brazilian Chamber and the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex). "It will be great, there will be opportunities available in the fields of commerce, investment and tourism" stated Usaimi.
The initiative should count on the support of the Federation of Industries of the State of Santa Catarina (Fiesc), which promoted trade missions to the country around the same time in the last two years, with a special focus on the construction material sector.
Exports from Santa Catarina to the Emirates totalled US$ 41.3 million in the first five months this year. The main products shipped were meats, machinery and parts, preserves and canned products, vehicles, wood, ceramic products for construction and electric materials. The data were supplied by the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.
Imports of goods from the Emirates during the same period totalled only US$ 784,000, and clothing was main item in the export basket.
Dubai here
Another subject discussed during the meeting was the promotion, in March 2009, of a mission of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry to Brazil. According to the ambassador, the delegation is going to travel to the states of São Paulo (SE Brazil), probably Rio de Janeiro (SE), and he also wants to suggest a trip to Santa Catarina (S).
The event involving the Dubai Chamber, according to the diplomat, is going to place businessmen from the two countries face-to-face and leverage business opportunities.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
