Brazilian participation in Gulfood is the highlight of your ANBA Bulletin this Wednesday (16). The leading food and beverage industry show in the  Middle East will run from February 17-21 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Over 90 Brazilian companies will be exhibiting out of pavilions organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil), industry-specific organizations or in standalone fashion. They are suppliers of beef, poultry, grain, biscuits, sweets, juices, coffee, sugar, fruit, pasta, honey, dairy, etc. “Our view is that this is a crucial market,” Apex business promotion coordinator Gustavo Fernandes said in a lead-up seminar Tuesday (15) at the Arab Chamber (pictured above), in São Paulo. Registrations are still open to join the expo.

And as for illustrating the Arab food and beverage market's potential, coffee exports from Brazil to that region were up 19% in 2018 from 2017 to 1.68 million 60-kg bags. Lebanon was the leading buyer, but Syria came as a surprise as second in the ranking. “The hike in sales to Syria, despite the issues plaguing the country, springs to attention,” Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafé) technical director Eduardo Heron said. Other major buyers are Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

You'll also meet Salam Nuri, the female robot who'll tell Facebook users about the lives of refugees. The “chatbot” is an initiative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in partnership with the University of Campinas (Unicamp) and the social media. The character was built upon accounts from actual Syrian women, and its avatar was designed by a Brazilian woman.