Nov 16, 2009
Brazilian Food Companies Increasing Exports To The Middle East
Author: Michael Cordonnier/Soybean & Corn Advisor, Inc.
At the recent Saudi Agro-Food show held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Brazilian food company representatives and Middle East investors participated in joint seminars that looked at ways of expanding business opportunities between Brazil and the Middle East. Twenty Brazilian businessmen, bankers, and agribusiness representatives participated in the food and beverage show emphasizing Brazil's potential for insuring food security for the Middle East nations. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are already two of the leading importers of Brazilian food products into the Middle East.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates already import significant amount of food products from Brazil. Ninety percent of those food imports consist of poultry, sugar, and beef. Between January and October of 2009, Saudi Arabia imported from Brazil US$ 1.2 billion worth of products including US$ 770 million in meats, US$ 272 million in sugar, US$ 162 in soybean products, and US$ 604 in poultry. For its part, the United Arab Emirates's main imports consisted of sugar products and meats.