Alexandre Rocha
São Paulo – Between April 26 and 28, the city of São Paulo is going to host a Tunisian business event, promoted by the Tunisian embassy in Brazilian capital Brasília, by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (CCAB), and by the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp). The objective is to promote an improvement of commercial relations between the Arab country and Brazil, to analyse business opportunities, and establish partnerships between both countries.
According to the Tunisian ambassador in Brasília Hassine Bouzid, 15 businessmen from his country will be participating in the event, representing the industry, agriculture, food, electrical product, leather, and shoe sectors.
"I believe that trade between both countries can double within five years," stated the diplomat to ANBA. This is the second time an event like this takes place in Brazil; the first was in 2002.
Brazil exported a total of US$ 56.3 million to Tunisia, being the main items in the trade basket sugar, soy oil, vehicle chassis with engines, tractors, and coffee.
Brazil, in turn, imported a total of US$ 42.3 million from the North African country, with fertilizers representing most of the purchases.
Agreement with the EU
The Tunisian government intention is to change this profile a little. The country has a free trade agreement with the European Union, a fact that, according to the ambassador, permits Brazilian industries to establish branches in the country and produce for the European market, without suffering tariffs and import quotas.
"The agreement with the EU includes all sectors of the industry. We will now see which are interesting to Brazilian businessmen," declared Bouzid.
Interested in promoting industrialized product export, the Tunisian government wants to attract Brazilian companies, investment, and also technology from the country. However, more than commodities and consumer goods, Tunisia is interested in increasing the purchase of Brazilian capital goods, especially industrial equipment, as well as providing incentives for Brazilian company installation of industrial plants in the country.
"This access to Europe is very interesting to Brazilian businessmen. And it is very possible," evaluated CCAB marketing vice-president Rubens Hannun, who is also honorary consul of Tunisia in São Paulo.
Program
The event will begin with a Fiesp seminar about industrial cooperation. There will also be business meetings between Brazilian and Tunisian executives. A meeting of the Brazilian-Tunisian Business Council, created in 2002, including six representatives from each country, will also take place.
At the occasion, accords for cooperation will also be signed between the Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex) and its Tunisian counterpart, the Tunisian Export Promotion Centre (Cepex), the Tunisian Foreign Investment Promotion Agency (Fipa) and Investe Brasil, the investment promotion agency created by the private initiative and by the Brazilian government.
Such agreements, according to Hannun, will have the objective of strengthening relations between both countries in these two sectors and promoting information exchange.
On the Brazilian side, the CCAB is going to invite businessmen who match the profile of the Tunisians, both as potential buyers and exporters, and possible partners for the Arab countries, interested in establishing joint ventures.
Information technology
Tunisia is interested in technology transfer and in increasing its industrial park, to host the second part of the United Nations World Summit on the Information Society. The first phase took place in Geneva, Switzerland, in December 2003.
The main objectives of the summit are to promote digital inclusion and access to information technologies such as computers, telephony, Internet, radio, TV, etc.
Before the event, however, at the end of March 2005, there will be, in country capital Tunis, a fair about information technology and communications, Intec, promoted by company Promo Tunisia in association with the local government. Registration for the event finishes on May 31.