São Paulo – Brazilian companies that took part in a business mission to Jordan earlier this month found a market open to Brazilian products and with potential to serve as a hub for other Levant countries such as Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine.
Between June 1 and 3, the program included technical visits, business meetings, and the Brazil-Jordan Business Seminar. During the seminar, William Adib Dib Jr., president of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), and Rafael Solimeo, head of the ABCC’s office in Dubai, presented details about Brazil-Jordan trade. They also met with local institutions such as the Jordanian Ministries of Investment and Agriculture, and with Khalil Mohammad ElHaj Tawfiq, chairman of the Jordan Chamber of Commerce. The meetings and visits were organized by the Jordan Chamber of Commerce and the ABCC, with from the Jordanian Embassy in Brasília and the Brazilian Embassy in Amman.
The meetings included meatpackers JBS, BRF, and Minerva, machinery firm Axxtech, furniture and interior design company Breton, audiovisual producer Just One Media, food trading company DeBrasil, and biotechnology firm Roumai. The mission also included InvestSP, São Paulo state government agency for investment promotion.
According to Solimeo, this mission is expected to result in business deals later this year, especially from the second half onward. He said it is “almost unanimous” that Brazilian companies will return to the country in the second half to continue negotiations. Local entrepreneurs showed interest in partnering with some Brazilian companies and even in franchising Brazilian brands.
Opportunities, Solimeo said, go beyond the Jordanian market, as companies and consumers from other Levant countries through Jordan. “I saw Iraqi entrepreneurs at the B2B meetings. Syria is now in an open-to-business phase, and so is Lebanon. The presence of companies from these countries makes us see Jordan as a hub for the Levant region,” he said.
The president of the ABCC said the meetings were “very productive.” “We saw Brazilian companies presenting themselves very clearly, with the established major players in the sector showing interest in growth and the newcomers introducing themselves. We are pleased with the results,” Dib said.
Opportunities for companies in various sectors
The chairman of the Jordanian chamber noted that bilateral trade between Brazil and Jordan has potential for expansion “with visits like this, forums, and closer ties between businesspeople,” Tawfiq said.
The Jordanian Ambassador in Brasília, Maen Masadeh, told ANBA that the trade mission took place amid ongoing expansion and diversification of trade, as well as the exploration of more “avenues of cooperation” between the two countries.
“Although it has continued only for a few days, the visit pointed out tremendous opportunities, for bilateral trade including increasing the trade volume and of demonstrating more opportunities in fertilizers, Mediterranean food, medicine, health equipment, textiles, meat, poultry, coffee, minerals, cosmetics, tourism, machines and many more. Jordan can also serve as a hub for Brazilian trade with the neighboring countries especially Syria and Iraq,” he said.
The Brazilian ambassador in Amman, Márcio Fagundes do Nascimento, told ANBA that the Jordanians are committed to implementing the “Economic Modernization Vision” plan, aiming for sustainable and inclusive growth in economic sectors that align “completely” with the capabilities of Brazilian businesses.
“I am confident that this mission marks just the beginning of a new and meaningful engagement between Brazilian businesspeople and their Jordanian counterparts, whose partnerships, already underway, will continue to yield many benefits for both countries,” he said.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
