São Paulo – The 19th edition of the Feicon Batimat construction fair, in São Paulo, is one of the reasons for the trip to Brazil of a delegation from the Sudanese Businessmen and Employers Federation. This Wednesday (16th), the group of nine businessmen visited the fair’s booths seeking Brazilian trade partners. Although they enjoyed the products, they found the prices to be high.
The secretary general of the Federation, Bakri Yousif Omer, who owns a civil construction company, stated that the opportunity to do business with the Brazilians is what brought him to the country. "We need investment in infrastructure, and we are aware that Brazilian companies may meet our needs. Thus, I believe that we may establish partnerships for trade relations," he claimed. However, he complained about the prices. And he was not the only one.
The only woman in the delegation, businesswoman Azharia Hassan Makki praised the quality of Brazilian products for house and building refurbishment and construction, but claimed that not all is perfect. "Brazilian products are well-made and well-finished. They are, however, too expensive," he said.
Azharia’s comparison is not restricted to Brazilian prices as against those charged by the Chinese, who invest in Sudan and are able to sell at lower prices. "The comparison also applies to Turkish products, which boast good quality as well and have a strong presence in Sudan," he said.
Trade relations between Brazil and Sudan are going strong. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, in the first two months this year, Brazil exported the equivalent of US$ 20.1 million to the African country, as against US$ 3.3 million in the same period of last year. Exports have grown by 511%, mostly due to sugar and wheat, the main items shipped.
However, buying is not the sole purpose of the Sudanese in visiting Brazil. "We want Brazilian companies to invest in our country. We need factories, we have few industries," said another member of the delegation, Abubakr Mohammed.
And factories are not all the Sudanese want. According to the Sudanese ambassador to Brasília, Abd Elghani Elkarim, the African country has other needs. "We need infrastructure works, we must build buildings, we need development. Our country is developing and a few Brazilian companies already operate there. We want more," he stated. Sudan is also seeking investors for its energy and telecommunication sectors.
Visit
Part of the delegation from Sudan is going to visit civil construction businessmen and government officials in Brasília. Back in São Paulo, the group should pay a visit to the Civil Construction Industry Association (Sinduscon-SP) and the National Association of Building Material Retail (Anamaco). They should also visit distribution centres and retailers for building material.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
