Achur Iskounen, managing partner of Algeria's Cevital, speaking in Fortaleza, Brazil.
Arabs participate in Brazil-Africa integration
A project with Algerian investment in Brazil and another with Brazilian investment in Sudan have been presented at the Brazil-Africa Forum this Friday in Fortaleza, Ceará.
São Paulo – The Arab countries in North Africa are playing an active role in the economic integration of Brazil and Africa. At a seminar delivered this Friday (29th) in Ceará state capital Fortaleza, two projects involving Brazilians and Arabs have been presented: one involves investment by the Algerian company Cevital in Brazil, and the other entails work by the Brazilian Agroindustrial Company in Sudan.
The two projects have been discussed in lectures during the Brazil-Africa Forum, hosted by the Brazil-Africa Institute at the Gran Marquise Hotel and attended by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce's International Business executive Fernanda Baltazar. The event featured delegates from several African countries and was held last Thursday (28th) and this Friday.
Cevital is one of Algeria's leading private groups, with an estimated turnover of US$ 5 billion in 2014 and operations in a bevy of fields, including agriculture. According to information disclosed during the seminar, Cevital is already investing in Brazil and owns an office in Belém, in the state of Pará. The company accounts for 60% of all Algerian imports of Brazilian products, such as sugar, soy oil, soy bran, maize and industrial machinery.
Cevital is building closer ties with Brazil, including investment planning and development in areas such as transportation logistics for grains and cereals, ports, agribusiness product processing, fertilizer manufacturing and others. Its goals include supplying food to Algeria and other African countries, and streamlining grain shipping processes from Brazil, according to a presentation delivered by Cevital’s managing partner Achur Iskounen, in Fortaleza.
The chairman of the Brazilian Agroindustrial Company, Paulo Hegg, presented his company's ongoing agricultural project in Sudan. The enterprise was founded by Hegg and by Pinesso group chairman Gilson Pinesso and grows grains and cotton in the Arab country, therefore supplying knowledge and technology to Sudanese agriculture. The company's planted area has increased from 7,300 hectares in 2011 to 11,000 hectares this year. Revenues stood at US$ 4 million in 2011 and should soar to US$ 22 million this year, according to projections.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
