A group of Brazilian businessmen arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on Sunday, September 25, for a two-day visit to negotiate partnerships and expand trade relations in the food, sugar and alcohol, and construction sectors.
Closer business ties are being promoted by the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations, which identified potential buyers in Trinidad and Tobago, which receives US$ 1 billion in investments, annually.
For Luciano Gonzaga Filho, who represents a São Paulo food manufacturer, the small role of agriculture in the country’s economy (2%) provides room for the importation of Brazilian products with aggregated value. His company plans to offer Caribbean entrepreneurs processed animal and vegetable products.
According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Trinidad and Tobago imports US$ 200 million worth of dairy products each year, and Brazil is currently responsible for US$ 6 million of this total.
For the Brazilian ambassador to the country, Luiz Fernando de Athayde, the time is also ripe for talks between the two countries on the energy sector. The ambassador says that Trinidad and Tobago may be a cheaper source of liquefied natural gas for Brazil and could share this market with Bolivia. The Caribbean country is also interested in exchanging experiences on the production and application of ethanol.
According to Athayde, the dialogue among companies gained impetus after the first official visit by a Brazilian chancellor to Trinidad and Tobago, when the minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, visited the country in January.
"With the increase in oil prices, Trinidad and Tobago has cash reserves. This is an excellent moment for Brazil to try to negotiate and play up its advantages," he says.
Agência Brasil