Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply is slated to hold a seminar on investment opportunities in Riyadh on Nov. 2 with the aim of attracting Saudi investors to Brazilian agribusiness. The event, organized by the Agribusiness International Promotion department, will take place on the sidelines of the Brazilian food sector delegation to the Kingdom, Anba new agency reported on Friday. Sixteen Brazilian companies in the food sector will be participating in the Saudi Agro-Food Fair on Nov. 1-4 in Riyadh. “For some time now, Saudi Arabia has been announcing investment in agribusiness in other countries, but Brazil has never been mentioned,” said the director of the department, Eduardo Sampaio. The establishment of a Saudi state-owned firm, Agroinvest, to support investment abroad in the sector opens doors to Brazil, which offers high availability of farmland, a favorable climate, available water, specialized labor and technology, he said. The Brazilian diversity in agricultural food chains makes it possible for foreigners to invest through partnerships with large companies with great production, acquisition, transformation and food trade capacity. “The idea is to show that the Arabs may invest in agriculture in Brazil without the need for purchasing land,” Sampaio said. Apart from partnerships with agro-industrial companies or trading companies, the seminar should show that the financing mechanisms in the country are already well known, which allows for greater safety, liquidity and product supply guarantee. These mechanisms are going to be presented by the Agribusiness vice president at the Bank of Brazil, Lu?s Carlos Guedes. The Agricultural Policy secretary at the ministry, Ed?lson Guimar?es, would also make a presentation. “Brazilian agribusiness makes possible Saudi investment in all sectors, like grain, sugar, dairy, beef and chicken, fruit and honey,” he further said. This is the first time that the Ministry of Agriculture promotes a seminar of the kind in the Middle East. The fact that these countries present local land and water restrictions for production, alongside the tendency for appreciation of the prices of agricultural commodities, caused the countries of the Gulf to announce several agricultural projects abroad, to guarantee the future supply of food.
