São Paulo – After two days of meetings with businesspeople and public sector representatives as well as technical visits in Brazil’s Pernambuco state, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce’s vice president of International Relations and secretary-general, Mohamad Mourad, asserted that the state, as well as others in the Northeast, can be another hub for manufacturing, export, and partnerships with Arab countries. “Brazil is diverse; it is a continent. The Northeast has products, commodities, protein, grain, and port infrastructure to cater to demand from the Arab countries,” the executive told ANBA this Friday (6).
During the seminar “Brazil – Arab countries: connecting Pernambuco to international opportunities,” held at the Federation of Industries of the State of Pernambuco (Fiepe), businesspeople were told about the potentialities of the Arab market in North Africa and the Middle East, and the characteristics of the halal food and beverages market. Halal goods are those made in compliance with the rules of Islamism, and the market for such products is bigger than just the Arab world, including nations in Europe, Africa, and Asia.
“These companies showed great interest and made business-oriented inquiries regarding both the Arab market and halal products,” said Mourad. The Arab Chamber’s International Relations analyst Elaine Prates gave details about Arab consumer markets, and Internationalization Projects manager Fernanda Dantas went over the characteristics, rules, and potential of halal goods.
Concurrently, Arab Chamber business executive Filipe Lacerda attended meetings with executives from companies in construction, logistics, renewable energy, ice cream, and juices and coconut water. “They are all interested in the possibility of exporting to the Arab countries, said Lacerda regarding the meetings. “Timbaúba has made occasional exports to Libya but would like to find clients for long-term work,” he said about the juice and coconut water company he visited.
Agreements in Pernambuco
The Arab Chamber entered into three memorandums of understanding during the roadshow in the state: one with Fiepe, one with the State Secretariat for Economic Development, and one with the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development. The three agreements concern mutual in business initiatives between Pernambuco and Arab countries. The Arab Chamber’s executives also visited the Suape port complex, which is investing in becoming a logistics and energy hub. It will add a green hydrogen plant to its facilities and is home to startups working on energy transition projects. The Arab Chamber’s activities in Pernambuco are slated to conclude this Friday (6) with a visit to the Porto Digital technology park, in Recife.
The meetings were also attended by Fiepe chairman Bruno Veloso, the state secretary for Economic Development, Guilherme Cavalcanti, and the municipal secretary for Economic Development, Carlos Andrade.
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Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
