The Kurdistan DBX Trade Show began Tuesday, November 11, in Suleimaniya, in Northern Iraq, and local companies have already shown interest in doing business with Brazilian companies. Brazil has a stand at the fair in a partnership between the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and the country embassy in Iraq.
The secretary general at the Arab Brazilian Chamber, Michel Alaby, who is at the fair with the ambassador of Brazil to the Arab country, Bernardo de Azevedo Brito, said, that the stand received the visit of Nawroz Jamal Ibrahim Khaffaf, president of Khaffaf Company, one of the main construction companies in Kurdistan. According to him, the businessman wants to hire Brazilian companies in the areas of civil construction and building material.
"To have an idea, the city of Suleimaniya has a population of around one million inhabitants and Kurdistan, around 5 million. And, different from the global liquidity crisis, they have money and are investing heavily in infrastructure (highways, bridges, signing, etc.) and in the construction of low-income housing," said Alaby by email.
He added that Khaffaf is also interested in doing business in the area of hospital equipment. Alaby took to Iraq promotional material of different companies and sector organizations. To the businessman, the Arab Brazilian Chamber secretary general delivered a DVD by the Association of the Manufacturers of Medical and Dental Products (Abimo).
According to Alaby, the stand also received several visitors interested in Brazilian sugar. In this case, the Suleimaniya Chamber of Commerce and Industry said that it would organize a meeting of Brazilians with local importers of agricultural products, like sugar, coffee, chicken and beef.
The secretary general of the Arab Brazilian Chamber also pointed out that he was visited by local businessman Pshtiwan Sharif, who was seeking investment opportunities in Brazil. He asked the Chamber to supply information about the existing possibilities and about the Brazilian legislation referring to foreign investment.
The stand received the visit of the governor of Suleimaniya, Dana Majid, of the president of the Investment Board of Kurdistan, Herish Muharam Muhamad, of the president of the Suleimaniya Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Hassan Baqi Hawrani, who is also vice president of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Kurdistan, and the vice president of the local chamber of commerce, Khalil Emin.
According to Alaby, around 270 companies are exhibiting at the fair, being 120 foreign, especially Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Iranian, American, German, Chinese, Japanese, Czech and Russian. The others are from Iraq and Kurdistan. The exhibition ends this Friday, November 14.
Anba