Chicken industry Doux Frangosul, from the Brazilian southernmost state of Rio Grande do Sul, wants to increase its exports to the Arab countries by 10% to 15% up to the end of the year.
This information was provided during the visit a group of ten ambassadors and heads of trade departments at Arab embassies in Brazil made to the company head office, in the city of Montenegro, close to state capital Porto Alegre.
The company already ships around 40% of its total monthly export to the Arab countries, mainly to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Tunisia, an average of 15,000 tons a month.
The importance of the Middle Eastern and North African markets was one of the themes of the meeting the delegation had with directors of the factory. The ambassadors visited the company production line and observed halal slaughter.
The group also received information regarding the sanitary precautions and quality control executed by Doux Frangosul.
“We were very pleased to see that the Arab market is consuming quality chicken,” stated the dean of the Arab Country Ambassador Council and Palestinian ambassador Musa Odeh.
The ambassadors showed themselves greatly interested in the company market and production figures.
The industrial director of Doux Frangosul, Eugênio Canova de Castro, believes that the visit may provide the starting kick for an increase in the number of Arab countries that buy products from the Gaúcho (from the state of Rio Grande do Sul) industry.
The products are sold in the Arab countries under the company brand and also under Arab brands, including the Co-op Islami brand, to which the company supplies chicken.
15,000 Jobs
The Doux Frangosul unit in Montenegro is the one that processes the largest number of chickens for consumption on the Arab market.
The company also has another three production units in the Gaúcho cities of Passo Fundo and Caxias do Sul, and in the midwestern state of Mato Grosso do Sul. Together, the four plants slaughter over 1.05 million chickens per day.
The company has French capital and employs 8,400 people. The animals are supplied by 3,500 families of small producers, generating over 15,000 indirect jobs, according to the Doux International Relations director, Aristide Inácio Vogt. Company technicians and vets accompany the raising of the animals.
During the meeting with Doux Frangosul directors, the dean of the Arab Country Ambassador Council addressed the Arab country intention of improving trade relations after the visit to the state and to the company.
“We know that Doux Frangosul has good relations with the Arab countries, and we hope that we may further expand them,” stated Odeh.
Most of the company exports are whole chickens. They sell around 35,000 tons of chicken on the foreign market every month, and export to 90 countries, thus generating around 75% of company revenues.
Frangosul is the third largest company in Brazil in terms of chicken slaughter. The company capital was originally Brazilian, but it was bought by the French in 1988. In Europe, Doux is the largest chicken producer.
ANBA – Brazil-Arab News Agency
