The Brazilian Trade Mission to the Middle East concluded recently in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with export deals worth $47.2 million involving 30 Brazilian companies and buyers in the Mena region.

The event was organised by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade.

The Brazilian companies, which were primarily from the auto parts, food and beverage and housing and construction sectors, were involved in a total of 636 business meetings in Jeddah and Dubai with over 200 buyers from the region.

Mauricio Borges, president of Apex-Brasil, said: “We were overwhelmed by the business generated during this trade mission, which clearly underscores the strength of the trade relations between Brazil and countries in the Middle East and Levant regions.”

“The mission created concrete opportunities for Brazilian companies to consolidate existing business in this important market and also facilitated the opening of new space for Brazilian products, while attracting investments to Brazil.”

One of the companies which had a successful experience during its first visit to the Middle East was Somopar, a furniture factory in Brazil. “We are seeking to tap the tremendous potential of the Middle East market, especially in the construction sector. This trade mission enabled us to establish six contacts and we have more or less finalised some major deals,” said Luiz Fernando Gasparoto, export manager of the company.

Marc Olivier Dotto, who is responsible for the foreign trade area at Astra, a maker of bathroom products, also made contacts with building sector representatives in the region. “We have established links with regional entrepreneurs who need items for bathrooms. Some are interested in more popular, cheaper, products for construction sites, and we aim to close a few deals in the months ahead,” he said.

The trade mission also generated several business opportunities for companies in the food sector. Millen International, for example, received importers interested in wafers, filled biscuits and pretzels. “We have concrete perspectives for export to Saudi Arabia and Dubai. In at least three cases there are enormous business possibilities to be completed,” said Gilberto Millen, the company owner.

MBR, an exporter of food, also made a positive evaluation of the roundtables. According to Vanessa Costa, who works with the company representative in the Middle East, MBR was involved in productive meetings with importers with great buying potential. The company offers fruit and vegetables, industrialized food, cheese, juice, almonds and nuts, among other products.

The Saudi Arabia-leg of the Brazilian Trade Mission featured business meetings in Jeddah with hosted buyers from various cities across the Kingdom, while the UAE-leg featured investment seminars in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in addition to a hosted buyer’s programme for regional importers and traders. – TradeArabia News Service