São Paulo – Six Brazilian companies are going to exhibit at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce stand at Algiers International Fair, to take place between May 30th and April 4th in the Algerian capital. Those present should include representatives of construction company Andrade Gutierrez, which has works in the country, Promodenta, of medical and dentistry equipment, and Tigre, of pipes and connections.
Other companies to exhibit at the fair are Madêmer Madeiras, of doors, Alibra, of dairy, and Biagio Turbos, of auto parts, as well as the Arab Brazilian Chamber and the Brazilian embassy to Algiers. The fair is multisectorial.
In the sidelines of the event, the Marketing vice president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Rubens Hannun, should participate in meetings with companies and organisations in the country, among them a company in the market development sector and another of media, as well as the local chamber of commerce and Algérie Presse Service (APS), an Algerian government news agency that is an ANBA partner.
"We want to understand a little more about the market, to know how it works and to establish partnerships," said Hannun.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber stand at the fair should cover an area of 150 square metres for exhibition of products and catalogues. The fair should receive 1,635 exhibitors, of which 1,081 international from 45 countries. As the event is open to the public in general, expectations about the number of visitors are high, around 950,000 people.
Algeria is the second largest country in Africa in terms of territory, losing only to Sudan. The country is bathed by the Mediterranean and 80% of the area is covered by the Sahara Desert. The economy is based on the production and export of oil and gas. Also important are industries like the petrochemical, mining, electric material and food industries.
According to information supplied by the Arab Brazilian Chamber, industry, including the oil sector, answers to 62.5% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), agriculture to 8.1% and the service sector, 29.4%. The country’s GDP reached US$ 155.8 billion in 2008, according to estimates by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), an economic information service supplied by British magazine The Economist.
With almost 34 million inhabitants, Algeria is the third most populous Arab country, only behind Egypt and Sudan. Among the sectors with greatest potential in the market, according to the Arab Brazilian Chamber, are products connected to the building industry and the food, agricultural machinery, vehicle and auto parts sectors.
Exports from Brazil to Algeria generated US$ 632.5 million last year, growth of 26.2% over 2007, according to figures supplied by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. The main products shipped were sugar, meats, vegetable oil, vehicles, dairy, machinery, electric material and coffee.
Imports of Algerian products totalled US$ 2.5 billion in 2008, growth of 11.8% over the previous year. There is a traditional trade balance deficit for Brazil, as Algeria is one of the main Brazilian suppliers of oil.
*Translated by Mark Ament
