Brazil’s Santa Catarina hosts Arab ambassadors

This week, ambassadors from Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, alongside Mohamad Orra Mourad, the vice president for international relations and secretary-general of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC), visited Santa Catarina state in Brazil. The delegation focused on strengthening bilateral ties beyond trade, exploring logistics, know-how exports, cooperation, and investment in innovation and startups.

During a meeting with Governor Jorginho Mello, Nabil Adghoghi, the dean of the Council of Arab Ambassadors in Brazil and Morocco's ambassador to Brazil, shared that trade between Brazil and Arab countries reached USD 23.3 billion from January to September of the current year. Adghoghi emphasized that while Brazil is a major food supplier to Arab countries, there is potential to expand trade in manufactured goods, as well as opportunities in agribusiness, agritech, pharmaceuticals, tourism, air and maritime logistics.

The delegation visited the state's agricultural research institute, Epagri, to learn about agricultural technology. Governor Mello emphasized Santa Catarina's potential to establish partnerships with Arab economies, particularly in high-value-added sectors such as agritech, pharmaceuticals, tourism, and logistics. The Moroccan ambassador was accompanied by his counterparts from Bahrain, Qatar, and Kuwait, as well as ABCC representatives and Mourad.

Adghoghi spoke to ANBA about the initiative, which is part of a program by the Council of Arab Ambassadors in partnership with ABCC to engage with Brazil’s states. He highlighted the positive interactions and significant potential to expand trade partnerships between Arab countries and the state of Santa Catarina.

Mourad identified opportunities to strengthen ties between Arab countries and Santa Catarina in logistics, agricultural knowledge-sharing, innovation and startups, and aquaculture. The delegation visited various state secretariats, including Celesc (a power utility), Casan (a water and sanitation company), Epagri, the Santa Catarina agricultural development company Cidasc, and other government departments.

They also toured Sapiens Park, a hub showcasing companies working on hydroseeding, nanovectors, solar panels, and other innovations.