Meeting with the Arabs at the Port of Itaqui focused on investment in trade in Maranhão, since the port is one of the main transporters of grain, sending grain produced in the North region and part of the Midwest.

The Port of Itaqui was present, on Monday (2nd), in São Paulo, at the Brazil and Arab Countries Economic Forum, an event held by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce on the theme Building the Future, which proposes a reflection on how this relationship should be strengthened jointly and sustainably. On the occasion, possibilities for better integrating the needs of the Arab countries to ensure food security, Brazil's willingness to provide food and the importance of logistics in this context were discussed.

Read also

• Government will link the Port of Itaqui, in Maranhão, to the Port of Santos by rail
• Investment of 200 million in new Raízen terminal, in Maranhão, promises to challenge refineries
• Agribusiness exports total almost US$ 9 billion in August
• Ministry of Agriculture says grain harvest will grow by 27% over the next decade, reaching 318 million tons

Development of Industrial Exports in the Port of Itaqui

On behalf of the Arab countries, representatives of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers, Dubai Airport FreeZone, SOHAR Port and Freezone (from Oman) and the Arab Union for the Development of Industrial Exports participated in the dialogue.

The debate was mediated by journalist Fernando Lopes, from Valor Econômico, on the Brazilian side, and by the vice president of the Tunisian Confederation of Industry and Commerce, ambassador Hassine Bouzid, on the Arab side. During the panel, long-term partnership strategies and agreements to facilitate these processes were also discussed.

“We present the Port of Itaqui as a logistical advantage for transporting food production from the entire North Center of Brazil,” said Ted Lago, who traveled to São Paulo accompanied by the director of Planning and Development at EMAP, Jailson Luz.

Working group to enable the export line of animal protein trade through the Port of Itaqui

The presence of the public port in Maranhão at this strategic event is one of the results of the Arab Brazilian Chamber’s mission to EMAP in 2017, when business opportunities between Maranhão and the Arab world were discussed.

On that occasion, a commitment was signed to form a working group with the aim of making an animal protein export line via Itaqui viable.

The Arab world is made up of 22 countries with 406 million inhabitants in an area of ​​13,5 million square kilometers. This slice of the globe holds 60% of the world's oil reserves and is a territory in search of food, a great opportunity for Maranhão's trade. Exports and imports between Brazil and the Arab countries added up to more than US$ 20 billion in 2017 and trade opportunities between the two regions tend to grow even more.

About the Port of Itaqui

Grains produced in the North and part of the Midwest are sent through the Port of Itaqui. “Seven Brazilian states move cargo with us”, says the president of the port.

The grains shipped via Itaqui are mainly soy and corn. From March to September, peak of the soybean harvest, almost 1 million tons of grains leave Itaqui by ship per month.

The Port of Itaqui is also the third in Brazil in handling fuel. It has the capacity to receive large ships with fuel, depending on the depth. Part of this fuel is even transferred to smaller ships for transportation to other ports in Brazil. “It's a tripod, grains, fertilizers and fuel always go together because agribusiness also demands a lot of fuel, both for planting and for harvesting”, says Lago.