São Paulo - The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), will take ten companies to participate in the 9th Erbil International Fair, in Iraq, to take place from September 23rd to 26th, in the Kurdistan.

The fair is multisectoral and offers opportunities for companies in the areas of food, building, fashion, medical and hospital equipment, furniture, energy and electronics, among others.

"Today, Iraq is one of the most attractive countries with great potential for import of products in several sectors. The objective is to perform an action in a region that is yet untapped and is very attractive for penetration of Brazilian products," said Karina Cassapula, Marketing coordinator at the Arab Chamber.

The Brazilian pavilion should cover approximately 100 square meters and participating companies will have the support of the Arab Chamber and Apex teams. "We noticed that Iraq is currently a country of opportunities for Brazilian exporters," said Cassapula.

Brazil's trade with Iraq was strong during the 1980s, but fell in the following decade, after the Gulf War. The shipment of goods returned to strong growth late last decade, reaching US$ 1.3 billion in 2011, though still below the volume of trade recorded in 1989, US$ 1.8 billion, according to figures disclosed by the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade. Last year, bilateral transactions totalled US$ 1.25 billion.

Companies interested in participating should register by July 15th. For Arab Chamber associates, the cost for participation is US$ 2,800, whereas for companies that are not associated, the cost is US$ 4,000.

Apart from exhibiting in the fair, Brazilian companies should have a parallel agenda including, among other activities, meetings with representatives of the Chamber of Importers and of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Erbil.

ANBA