Rafael Solimeo, the head of the ABCC international office in Dubai, believes the participants were pretty optimistic with the prospect of resuming deals with new and old partners from the Arab world. \u201cThe companies reported some relief as it\u2019s very difficult to sell food products if the buyer can\u2019t taste them and verify their quality. Despite being smaller, this year\u2019s show met its goal of taking negotiations forward,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Find out more on this year\u2019s show:<\/em><\/p>\n The ABCC staff held B2Bs between participating companies and potential buyers at the Dubai office. \u201cMany connections seemed promising,\u201d he said. In the B2Bs, the executive noticed the buyers were more willing to meet new suppliers and expand their range of imports from Brazil. An example were importers that used to buy only soy or sugar and were considering purchasing meat and processed foods, too.<\/p>\n The demand for food products in the 22 Arab League countries has intensified during the pandemic, which reinforces the Brazilian role for the region\u2019s food security. According to figures from the ABCC, in 2020 the volume of Brazilian agribusiness exports to the Arab countries climbed 16% from the previous year. The entity also reported it was contacted last July by new Arab importers to find suppliers in Brazil.<\/p>\n The pandemic has fast-tracked Arab projects aimed at decreasing its reliance on foods from abroad. That\u2019s the case of Saudi Arabia\u2019s Vision 2030, which aims to make the country able to meet 60% of its demand for halal poultry domestically. Solimeo pointed out this made the situation more favorable for Brazilian food companies that are willing to expand their operations in the Arab world, especially with investments in production in these countries.<\/p>\n Due to the pandemic, the show was only confirmed in early February. The Gulf country had already immunized almost half of its population by early February but keeps requiring passengers to present a negative COVID-19 PCR test taken at least 72 hours prior to their arrival in the airports. For Brazilians, although there\u2019re no official restrictions, a setback was the suspension<\/a>of direct flights to Dubai until February 28.<\/p>\n Translated by Guilherme Miranda<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
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