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The Brazilian Export Promotion Agency (Apex) and the Brazilian Pasta Association (Abima) signed recently, in São Paulo, an agreement to promote Brazilian pasta on the foreign market.
The objective, according to Eliane Kay, the president of Abima, is to create an export culture among Brazilian pasta producers. "We want to educate the factories so as to export. We have a modern industrial park, comparable to those of the great worldwide macaroni exporters, a good quality product and productive capacity to supply new markets," she said.
Brazil is currently the third largest macaroni producer in the world, producing one million tons a year. The country only loses to Italy, with over three million tons, and to the United States, with around 1.6 million.
In 2004, the sector had revenues of approximately US$ 1.2 billion. Exports generated US$ 2.7 million, to the sector, at current exchange rates, and shipping totaled around 6,600 tons.
The main destinations were Angola and Mozambique, in Africa, and Chile, Venezuela and Paraguay, in South America. With the sector partnership with the government, the target is to increase exports to US$ 5.7 million in the next 12 months.
According to Eliane, the first part of the program will be the identification of potential markets. "We have a list of countries and, now, want to check if they may really be worked," she said.
Apart from the countries that already import Brazilian macaroni, the United States, Portugal, Panama, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay will also be worked on. Arab countries, like Iraq and Tunisia, will be prospected in the second phase.
Tunisia is in the third place in terms of pasta consumption per person in the world, with 11.7 kilograms a year per inhabitant. The country only loses to Italy, with 28 kilograms per head and Venezuela, with 12.7 kilograms. In Brazil, the current annual consumption is 5.5 kilograms per inhabitant.
In parallel to market prospecting, there will be commercial training and certification of companies that produce pasta. Up to now, nine companies will be participating in the program, among them Caiubi and Reimassas, from the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, Moinho Santa Lúcia and J. Macedo, both from the northeastern state of Ceará.
Through the agreement, there will also be strategic marketing planning for the sector. "The actions will not be linear, we are going to work on various fronts at the same time," stated Eliane.
The other point is the incentive to participation in foreign fairs, for the promotion of macaroni, which should take place next year. During the whole program, investment will total around US$ 515,000.
According to the Abima, 61% of the companies that compose the sector in Brazil are small, 22% are medium and 17% are large. The sector employs around 25,000 people.
Anba - www.anba.com.br
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