Under the auspices of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, Antonio Augusto Junho Anastasia, vice governor of the state of Minas Gerais (Brazil), will be heading a large business delegation to Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry on April 1, 2008. Also accompanying the delegation will be Braga de Andrade, president of the Federation of Industries of the State of Minas Gerais, Marcio Araujo de Lacerda, state secretary for economic development of the state of Minas Gerais and a number of officials and company representatives from the South American state. The idea behind the visit is to identify business opportunities between UAE and Minas Gerais-based companies. At present there are 15 Brazilian companies operating in Dubai and registered at Dubai Chamber, three of which are 100 percent owned by Brazilian businessmen. Dubai's non-oil trade with Brazil (including Free Zone) reached AED 4,059,031,399 in 2006 with imports at AED3,863,428,849 and export - re-export at AED195,602,550. A total of 135 certificates of origin were issued by Dubai Chamber for Brazil with a total of AED63,023,762 in 2007 as the country was ranked no. 33 in a list of Dubai's trade partners in 2006. The visit is also expected to facilitate networking for businesses specializing in food & beverage products, metal and mechanics, hardware/software material, cosmetics metallurgy, petrochemical industry, construction and building materials, agriculture, real estate, commercial, privatization of units, insurance business, engineering and import/export development in various sectors. Founded in Sao Paulo in 1952, the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit organization whose main objective is to develop the commercial relationship between Brazil and the Arab countries. It also has offices in Curitiba and Belo Horizonte. The chamber represents 22 Arab countries. On the international scene, the chamber is a member of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture of the Arab Countries, a commercial support for the League of Arab States; an institution that comprises 22 independent states whose official language is Arabic. __
