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The Brazilian Agency for International Business (ABNI), a consulting company based in the city of Curitiba, capital of the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, will set up a representation office in Syria in 2005.
This week, two representatives of the agency will travel to the Arab country taking samples and catalogues from companies in many sectors, such as food, cosmetics, slaughtering houses and agriculture commodities.
ABNI, Agência Brasileira de Negócios Internacionais, represents companies in the states of Paraná and São Paulo when prospecting new export markets.
"At the moment, our main focuses are the Arab countries, South Africa and China. We have already been to Africa, we are going to Syria this week and to China probably next year," said the commercial director at ABNI, Maurício José Padilha.
According to him, the project for installing a representation office in Syria is already set up. "What is missing now is to settle the financial part personally. I believe that up to the end of the first quarter in 2005 everything will be working," he stated.
"We have chosen Syria because we want it to work as an entry port to the remaining Arab countries," said Padilha.
Because of the borders with Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan and Turkey, and the exit to the Mediterranean Sea, Syria is an important business center in the region.
Many products, for example, arrive in Iraq through Syrian lands. This year, the Iraqi market should buy US$ 1 billion worth of products from Syria.
It is worth remembering that the Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, presented in December last year a proposal to the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, that Syria became a logistics base for Brazil to export their products to the Arab world.
Mineral Water
The mineral water company Ouro Fino, based in Campo Largo, in the metropolitan region of Curitiba, is one of the companies represented by ABNI that wishes to sell to the Arab market.
The company's export analyst, Sandra Ramanoop, says that, in 2002, Ouro Fino signed a partnership with Sadia, one of the greatest exporters in the food sector in Brazil, launching in the market "Acqua Sadia", directed mainly to the market in the southeast region of Brazil and for exports to the middle east, where the brand Sadia is quite well known.
"Contacts and negotiations with the Arab countries started a long time ago. Now, with help from ABNI and the installation of the office in Syria, we believe the first sales deals will be closed soon," stated Sandra.
With a flow of 520,000 liters per hour, the Ouro Fino fountain has the capacity to supply the internal market and also export.
According to information from the National Department of Mineral Research (DNPM) in Brazil, the brand currently has 67% of the Paraná market and 40% of the market in the southern region of Brazil.
In the last three years, Ouro Fino, which employs more than 300 workers, invested US$ 1.2 million in the modernization of equipments and adaptation of its bottling unit.
Of this total, US$ 300,000 were directed at the launching of the 300 ml Premium bottle, product being exported to the United States.
www.abni.com.br
ANBA – Brazil-Arab News Agency
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