Gulfood ended 2021 with massively positive results for nearly 50 Brazilian participating companies.
Dubai: The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) has announced that participants from the country closed business deals estimated at a total of USD 33.2 million at the recently concluded Gulfood 2021 in Dubai.
Various pavilions of Brazil showcased at the exhibition eye prospects of reaching USD 236.7 million in the following months, according to Apex-Brasil.
Nearly 50 Brazilian companies participated in Gulffood 2021, the largest beverage and food industry event in the Middle East.
The Brazilian participants present at Gulfood 2021 noticed a change in the smaller quantity and flow of people due to access and circulation restrictions as pandemic containment measures. But this did not impact negatively on the business aspect. “The Brazilian companies left the event very satisfied. The fact that the big players decided not to go was an enormous opportunity to diversify markets in the region and to prospect buyers”, says the president of Apex-Brasil, Sergio Segovia.
According to Segovia, holding Gulfood in person represented a step towards resuming the large international business events, and holding it in Dubai allows contact to be made with new business partners. “Dubai has a strategic location between East and West and is a hub for commercial and cultural relationships between various parts of the world. Among the big players, Brazil was the one with the largest delegation.”
“Besides, Gulfood offered perspectives to Brazilian businessmen about the resumption of the international fairs calendar, it showed that this will be even more important for Brazil because the pandemic has demonstrated the confidence that the world has in the country for its food security. The fairs are vital to dynamize and potentiate this role of Brazil, which was evidenced in the midst of the pandemic,” Segovia said.
The result represents what was negotiated by the companies that attended the event with the Apex-Brasil (USD 19.2 million in the event and USD 103.2 million in the next 12 months), by the companies that participated with the Brazilian Association of Animal Protein (ABPA – USD 13.2 million in the event and USD 129.5 million in the next 12 months) and also with the Brazilian Association of Meat Exporting Industries (ABIEC – USD 850,000 in the event and USD 4 million in 12 months), partner institutions of the Agency in the international promotion of Brazilian products.
About Gulfood:
Gulfood 2021 which will open on February 21 2021 and will run till February 25 is the biggest trade fair of the Food, Beverage and Agribusiness sectors in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The fair which began in 1989, is an important platform for the entry of Brazilian products to the United Arab Emirates and adjacent markets. In its last edition, available data (2019) showed that it registered over 98,000 visitors and attracted more than 5,000 exhibitors from 192 countries. The profile of the buyers stand out and include trade professionals from all segments of the food and beverage production chain, with important decision makers and global industry opinion makers taking part.
About Apex-Brasil:
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) works to promote Brazilian products and services abroad, and to attract foreign investment to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy.
Apex-Brasil organizes several initiatives aiming to promote Brazilian exports abroad. The Agency´s efforts comprise trade and prospective missions, business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in major international trade fairs, arrangement of technical visits of foreign buyers and opinion makers to learn about the Brazilian productive structure, and other select activities designed to strengthen the country’s branding abroad.
Apex-Brasil also plays a leading role in attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) to Brazil, by working to identify business opportunities, promoting strategic events and lending support to foreign investors willing to allocate resources in Brazil.
