Joined: 05 Oct 2005
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Brazilian companies participating in fairs in the two countries have good business prospects. The Latinex trading company, which is currently at the fair in Libya, received importers interested in foodstuffs. To the exports agent at Itatiaia Móveis, Christian Barbosa, the company has a strong possibility of signing contracts, as does Trade Wind, which is at the Qatar fair. The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce has stands at both fairs.
Marina Sarruf* São Paulo - Brazilian companies participating in trade fairs in Libya and in Qatar made promising contacts, according to their representatives. Latinex trading company, from the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, was contacted yesterday (03) by Libyan and Algerian importers interested in buying powdered milk, canned food, fruit juices, hard candy, and cookies. "We made two very good contacts," said the director at Latinex, Eduardo Moraes, who is at the Tripoli International Fair, in Libya. According to him, the company does not export to the Arab market yet, and its goal in the fair is precisely to prospect the market. In addition to Latinex, the Brazilian stand, which was organised by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, features a representative of the Itatiaia Móveis furniture company, from the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. "The chances of doing business at the fair are very high. It is a very diversified fair," said the exports agent at the company, Christian Barbosa, who received buyers from Sudan, Tunisia, and Libya. Itatiaia Móveis has been exporting to the Arab market for five years now. In addition to Libya, Algeria and Kuwait, the company should also start selling to Sudan and the United Arab Emirates. According to Barbosa, Itatiaia is showcasing steel kitchen cabinets at the fair. "We are bringing a novelty. The majority of people here are familiar with wooden cabinets," he said. In addition to the kitchen furniture line, the company also makes bedroom furniture, such as beds, closets and dressers. According to Barbosa, the Arab countries are a strategic market for the company. "We are aiming at the African and Arab markets, which have good purchasing power and a similar taste to that of Brazilians," he said. Meeting The Marketing vice-president at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Rubens Hannun, and the foreign trade analyst at the organisation, Zein El Abdine, who are at the fair, met yesterday with the Brazilian ambassador to Tripoli, Luciano Ozório Rosa, and with the counselling minister at the embassy, Alexandre Barboza, in order to discuss the opportunities offered by the Libyan market. During the meeting, the ambassador talked about the increased trade flow between Brazil and Libya after president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's trip to the Arab country, in December 2003, and about the economic opening of Libya. He also said Brazilian companies stand a chance there, especially in the food and construction materials sectors. Qatar Project Qatar, a fair for the construction material sector being held in Doha, Qatar, features a Brazilian stand organised by the Arab Brazilian Chamber. The fair also counts on the participation of Trade Wind, a company from the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. This is the first time that the Brazilian trading company participates in the event, in partnership with its distributor in the Arab country, Qatar Tractor & Equipment Co. Trade Wind represents two Brazilian brands: Schulz, an air compressor manufacturer, and Menegotti, which makes civil construction machinery and equipment. "We have already closed deals here in Qatar for both companies. The products should arrive in six weeks," said the trade assistant at Trade Wind, Marcos Tamasia. According to him, Brazilian products have good quality and competitive prices. "We have high expectations of closing deals at the fair," Tamasia said. According to him, the boom in the construction sector in the Arab country creates great opportunities for Brazilian companies. Besides Qatar, the trading company has been exporting to the Arab market for five years now. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Jordan already have local distributors for the Brazilian brands. The Arab Brazilian Chamber stand, featuring the participation of the Vitrolar Metalúrgica steelworks company, was visited by approximately 50 people who were interested in Brazilian companies that manufacture doors, windows, paving and other products in the sector. In the afternoon, the stand was also visited by Julia Nasser, of the foreign relations department at the Al Jazeera TV network, which is headquartered in Qatar. She was received by the operations manager at the Chamber, Rodrigo Solano, who is at the fair. "I came here to convey some ideas to the Chamber, because I really want to help Brazil enter the market. Brazilian meat and shoes are already present here, but promotion is lacking," Julia said in Portuguese. She is a Lebanese descendant who grew up in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, and has been in Qatar for four years. *Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum |
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