São Paulo – The Curitiba-based seed company Atlântica Sementes closed a sale of 100 tonnes of sunflower seed to a Sudanese mission visiting the 19th edition of agricultural fair Agrishow, which ended last Friday (4th) in Ribeirão Preto, in the state of São Paulo. The Sudanese did not participate in the event’ business matchmaking rounds, but still they set the details for the purchase of the seeds. Sunflower may be used to produce edible oil and biodiesel.
Atlântica Sementes’ sales coordinator for the Alta Mogiana and Triângulo Mineiro region, Nilton César Rodrigues, did not disclose the price of the sale, but said that domestically, a bag containing 15 to 20 kilograms of sunflower seeds sells for 300 Brazilian reals (US$ 156). “The price for this sale might have been different than the domestic price, depending on negotiation details and the dollar-to-real exchange rate,” he said.
Nilton said he was taken by surprise, because deals are seldom closed during the event. “We usually close sales after Agrishow. The customers contact us and say they saw our product at the fair. This purchase made by the Sudanese is great, because we do not sell to them yet. It is a new market,” says Rodrigues.
Agrishow also hosted the 13th Business Matchmaking Rounds organized under the Brazil Machinery Solutions (BMS) project, of the Brazilian Machinery Manufacturers Association (Abimaq). Clients were invited from Russia, Turkey, Tanzania, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Kazakhstan, Romania and Zimbabwe. More than 80 different negotiations took place, at a total of US$ 14 million.
According to the fair’s organizers, 135,000 people visited the 780 exhibitors. This year’s edition was expected to reach 2 billion (US$ 1 billion) in business volume, representing a 13% increase over 2011. However, the fair’s balance sheet has not been completed yet. The director of the fair, José Danghesi, stated that Agrishow has grown compared with 2011 and that this improvement is a reflection of the Brazilian agribusiness scenario.
Danghesi also said the fair cannot deviate from its target audience if it wants to be successful. “We must keep the event qualified, so it targets the public who is interested in these products. We want to generate business and showcase the best technologies available in the industry,” he said. The next edition will take place from April 29th to May 3rd, 2013.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
