São Paulo – Four Arab importers are taking part of the 15th Expodireto Cotrijal this Wednesday (12), the agribusiness fair that takes place in Rio Grande do Sul’s city of Não-Me-Toque. On their way to the fair, the group passed through São Paulo’s capital this Monday (11) and visited the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. They are food and machinery distributors and, according to information supplied to ANBA, they intend to find suppliers on the fair.
One of them is Imran Ikram, general manager of Gusto Distribution, company that deals with importing and distributing food products in Oman, Dubai and Saudi Arabia, and will soon start operations in Libya and Iraq. Gusto works with products such as poultry, meat, French fries, green beans, frozen vegetables among others; but has in poultry 60% to 70% of their business. It is the first time Ikram has come to Brazil, but Gusto already purchases Brazilian poultry. Their goal in Expodireto Cotrijal, however, is to find new supplying plants.
Also in Brazil to take part in the fair is president and director-general of ONAB Trade, Mustapha Zamoum, from Algeria. The company imports food products and processes them to sell in their country. According to him, Algeria is a market with great opportunities. The company purchased last year 27,000 tonnes of meat and 32,000 tonnes of soy bean from Brazil, worth US$ 10 mn. Their goal is to increase these volumes, said Zamoum.
According to the Algerian’s perception, soy and corn from Brazil are competitive, but the country has infrastructure problems that affect business and goods transport. In Expodireto, he wants to know the producers, buy feed and be in touch with poultry equipment manufacturers for possible partnerships.
From Morocco to Brazil to take part in the fair in Não-Me-Toque is purchasing director of Koutobia Holding, Omar Iraqi. The company is the biggest meat industry in Morocco, with 75% local market share. It deals with poultry, meat and sausages, purchasing the raw material mainly from Europe. The company does not import from Brazil yet, but would like to do so, according to Iraqi. In Expodireto, the Moroccan intends to do business, find good price and products, according to the importer. He wants to arrange long term partnerships.
Alanwar Trading Company, from Iraq, is an agricultural machinery and parts importer and distributor in the Arab country and is also represented in the Brazilian Fair. It deals with brands such as Massey Ferguson, AGCO, New Holand, John Deere, among others. The import manager from the company, Anwer Habesh Mech says the company imported from Brazil on three opportunities, in the years of 2009, 2011 and roughly two months ago. Mech claims that he wants to do direct business in Expodireto.
While in São Paulo, the importers met with Arab-Brazilian Chamber’s CEO, Michel Alaby, and watched presentations about Brazilian agribusiness, the entity’s work and Expodireto Cotrijal. They acquired information about the fair’s size, the Brazilian production of grains such maize and soy bean, agricultural machinery, among other products. Government relations manager of the entity, Tamer Mansour, and Market Intelligence director, Suelma Rosa dos Santos, placed the Arab-Brazilian Chamber at the executives and entrepreneurs’ disposal, in order to help them on their business with Brazil and put them in touch with potential importers.
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
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