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São Paulo – A delegation led by the ambassador of the United Arab Emirates in Brasília, Hafsa Al Ulama, had a meeting this Thursday (18) morning with the governor of Paraná, Beto Richa. In the meeting’s agenda, business opportunities and potential investments in the state, which is a large exporter of products to the Arab country, especially poultry and sugar.
According to Richa, Paraná is going through a large industrial cycle, boosted by the program Paraná Competitivo (Competitive Paraná) – a plan for the attraction of investments to the state – and by infrastructure investments. Among the projects presented, the governor highlighted the new route of railway Ferroeste, which will link the city of Dourados, Mato Grosso do Sul, to the port of Paranaguá, as well as investments in the port terminal to expand the shipment capacity.
“The state is open to strengthen its diplomatic ties and good international relations with the United Arab Emirates,” said Richa to the local state news outlet Agência de Notícias do Paraná (ANPr).
Ulama pointed out that there are opportunities to expand exports of local Paraná products to the UAE. Currently, trade is mainly sugar and animal protein. “There’s a lot of potential to expand exports of products from Paraná. The United Arab Emirates can be a re-exporting hub of products,” she told ANPr.
Also in the meeting, the chief director of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Dubai Chamber) in São Paulo, Paulo Paixão, told ANBA that, after two consecutive years of decline, exports from the country to the UAE increased 12% last year when compared to 2016. Shipments from Paraná to the Arab country increased in the same rate.
Meanwhile, imports by Brazil from the UAE dropped 49%, but Paraná increased in 74% its purchases from the country. “There was a large import of fertilizers, especially urea,” said Paixão.
The Dubai Chamber’s executive said that the visit, the first by the ambassador to Paraná, had as its main goal to start talks that can generate business opportunities on both ends. The organization represents 217,000 companies.
Besides the ambassadress, the governor and Paixão, also at the meeting were the vice-president of Dubai Exports, Mohammed Al Kamali, the second secretary of the United Arab Emirates’ embassy in Brazil, Abdelrahman Almaazmi, the chief representative officer of First Abu Dhabi Bank, Angela Martins, and the state Protocol and Foreign Relations secretary, Ezequias Moreira.
*Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
