Shipments to Arab countries must grow

Brazilian food exports to 22 countries of the Arab League should grow between 10% to 15% by 2018, compared with the $ $9.94 billion traded last year, estimated yesterday the Secretary General of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Michel Alaby.
"This is a conservative estimate. But enlarge this market depends on Brazil to be more active, especially for items with higher added value, "says. Together, the countries of the League matter about $ $90 billion in food annually.
However, the lack of an agreement on the demand made by Saudi Arabia so that birds do not pass through stunning before slaughter process can affect this perspective. "If there is understanding, that might compromise the projection. But it can also be a direction of these products to other markets, "says Alaby.
Since last April 1, the Brazilian industries may not export poultry meat have passed by stunning. The Saudi Arabia is the biggest customer of the Brazilian product and imported 589,900 tons in the country last year, with revenue of $ $1 billion. "The impact of this decision will take some time to be felt because large shipments have already been dispatched before the rule, due to the intense trade flow to that country, of 2000 containers a week," says the Vice President and Director of the Association markets Brazilian Animal protein (ABPA), Ricardo Santin.
The months of April and may are considered weak for shipments of animal protein to these markets because imports directed toward Ramadan are made before that. He considers that a reduction of exports must be felt to some degree on the results of April, but should occur with more intensity within 60 days. Yesterday, Brazil requested a new deadline of 60 more days to the health authority for any adjustments to Saudi and so that businesses can do tests and adapt to the rule.
According to the Director of operations of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Tamer Mansour, number 993, standardization of the entity responsible for the rules for business with the Arab countries (Gulf Standard Organization-GSO), makes it clear that the stun is forbidden. In a recent mission to Saudi Arabia, Brazil presented a technical study made by private companies in partnership with Embrapa and University of São Paulo (USP) to demonstrate that the stunning doesn't kill the bird, but leaves her unconscious, which would consist in not a violating the rules of halal. "Brazil will have an answer after technical analysis at the end of June, in which the GSO will define whether or not the use of allows stunning," said Mansour. "If we can send more evidence which could enrich the brazilian position, the better," he said.
He still reported that between 5 to 9 of may, Brazil will receive a technical mission of the Saudi Ministry of agriculture, which will assess the resumption of shipments of live cattle for that country. Since the atypical case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (known popularly as mad cow disease), registered in the country in 2012, Brazil cannot export live cattle to Saudi Arabia. According to him, the reopening should occur shortly after this mission.
China
China announced it will overtax imports of u.s. pork. In evaluating Santin, the ABPA, this decision opens a door to the Brazilian market since December with the ban of Russia suffers one of its main customers.
"Are 275,000 tonnes that were imported from the UNITED STATES by China in 2017. This can extend our shipments to the Asian country and can improve our image against the Russians, once the health rules of the two countries require the segregation of animals that have received Ractopamine, "explains.