(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) Oman is optimistic about attracting more investments from Brazil, especially in the food industry as the sultanate plans to set up a food distribution hub at Sohar Port and Freezone.
On Monday, a business delegation from Oman showcased the many opportunities at the Brazil-Oman Economic Forum held in S?o Paulo. The forum was an outcome of a visit to Oman last year by a delegation including the Brazilian vice president.
Interested in the potential presented by Brazilian grain exports, the Port of Rotterdam International (PoRint), which runs the Sohar Port and Freezone, said there are plans of setting up a food distribution hub (see box) at the facility.
Peter Lugthart, representative of PoRint in S?o Paulo said they are trying to attract more companies from Brazil for the new facility.
Brazil's present investments in Oman include the mining company Vale. Also, Brazilian food processing giant BRF recently made an offer for a 40 per cent stake in Al Khan Foods, one of the largest distributors of frozen and processed foods in the sultanate.
According to H E Khalid al Jaradi, Oman's Ambassador to Brazil, the sultanate has a long-term strategy to diversify the economy away from oil and gas. ''The areas which Oman plans on developing include the food industry. It is felt that Brazilian companies in the food industry can be attracted in carrying out something similar to what Vale did in the sultanate in the iron ore business,'' he said.
''The policy of attracting investments to Oman is bearing great results,'' said Marcelo Sallum, president, Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). ''It is a wonderful country, tourism-wise,'' added Michel Alaby, CEO of ABCC. Both had visited Oman in 2013 alongside Michel Temer, the Brazilian vice president.
''I think (this event) is precisely the outcome of the first trip of a (Brazilian) authority to the sultanate, when I was there last year. It has led to this trade and industry forum, where Omani and Brazilian representatives have met to learn how to invest in Oman, and how Omani businessmen can invest here in Brazil,'' said Temer, who took part in the forum.
Other areas Oman wishes to attract investments in are fishing and aquaculture, agriculture, information and communication technologies, chemistry and petrochemistry, tourism and infrastructure.
''Our goal is to build partnerships with Brazilian companies,'' said H E Yahya Said al Jabri, chairman of the Duqm Special Economic Zone Authority and head of the Omani delegation. ''We have reasons to hold similar activities in the future as well in Brazil,'' he said. Presentations were given on the ports and free zones of Duqm, Sohar and Salalah.
Food cluster
A new cluster centering on agro-based commodities and food processing activities is being established within the Port of Sohar and Freezone. The Food Cluster will feature the country's first dedicated agro bulk terminal designed for not only handling wheat and other grain shipments on behalf of the government, but also feedstock for a sugar refinery. The Public Authority for Strategic Food Reserves (PASFR) is set to play an important role in the establishment of the proposed food reserves facility within the Food C
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.