São Paulo – Egyptian and Brazilian businesspeople met on Sunday (7) at the Cairo Chamber of Commerce in Egypt to attend the “Brazil-Egypt Business Forum: Opportunities for Trade,” held in partnership between the Egyptian institution and the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), which is organizing a mission to Egypt and Algeria this month. After the seminar, a B2B session was held.
The meeting was attended by the CEO of the Cairo Chamber, Ayman El-Ashry, and the president of the ABCC, William Adib Dib Jr. According to the Egyptian chamber, they signed a mutual cooperation protocol aimed at supporting and fostering the development of economic relations between the two countries, based on “the strong bonds of friendship” existing between them.
According to the Cairo Chamber of Commerce, in his speech El-Ashry expressed hope that the signed protocol and the seminar would open new horizons for bilateral trade, especially as Egypt is experiencing a “boom” in the infrastructure sector, among others, in pursuit of sustainable growth and increased exports.
The ABCC’s Director of Institutional Relations, Fernanda Baltazar, said another memorandum of understanding was signed in Egypt, with Tatweer for banking services, TuvNord for inspection services, and ITL for logistics services.
Statistics from Brazil’s Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services, compiled by the ABCC, show that last year Brazil exported USD 3.9 billion to Egypt, up 71.9% compared to the previous year. Egyptian exports to Brazil, in turn, grew 92.4%, reaching USD 940 million. Brazil’s main exports were corn, sugar, and iron ore, while Egypt primarily sold fertilizers, iron or steel bars, and PVC plastic to Brazil.
To ANBA, Dib said the Brazilian delegation was warmly received by many businesspeople and that the B2B session held after the seminar was “intense.” In his speech at the seminar, Dib highlighted the growth of bilateral trade since the free trade agreement between Egypt and Mercosur came into effect in 2017, which he called a “milestone” that made trade more diverse and opened up new opportunities.
“There is no doubt that the Mercosur–Egypt Free Trade Agreement is a successful understanding and a model to be replicated in Brazil’s trade with other Arab nations, as well as with other countries worldwide, for having promoted commercial development, economic integration, and mutual benefits,” Dib said, noting that there is still room to expand this trade partnership.
Also attending the seminar were the director of the ABCC’s office in Cairo, Michael Gamal, representatives from the Brazilian Embassy in Egypt, and officials from Egypt’s Ministry of Foreign Trade and Investment.
Baltazar said 40 companies participated in the B2B session. On the Egyptian side, she said, there was interest in importing Brazilian products and selling to the country. “What caught my attention was the number [of participating companies] and how prepared the companies here are with quality products,” she said. “They already know the Brazilian market and are already exporting to major industries in Brazil,” she added.
In addition to the seminar and the B2B session, the trade mission included technical visits. One of them was to the HyperOne supermarket chain. Its representatives had visited Brazil last year in a buyer project organized by the ABCC. During this visit, the Egyptian retailer presented its business model and the sectors offering opportunities for Brazilian companies. “It opens a window to further strengthen this relationship with Brazil,” Baltazar said.
At the end of the trade mission, Brazilian companies began their participation in the Food Africa fair, which started on Sunday (7) and runs until Tuesday (9) in Cairo. They are attending through the Halal do Brasil project, spearheaded by the ABCC and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). Before Egypt, the trade mission visited Algeria. Dib, the ABCC’s internationalization project manager, Fernanda Dantas, and the Secretary-General & Vice President of International Relations, Mohamad Orra Mourad, are also participating in the fair.
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Brazilian companies join Egypt trade fair
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
