The Sharjah Chamber of Commerce & Industry, SCCI, and the Sharjah Exports Development Center (SEDC) took part in a webinar organized by the Union of Arab Chambers and the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce entitled “the food supply chain, current perspectives & challenges”.

A number of senior Arab and Brazilian officials participated in the webinar, including Tereza Cristina, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Brazil, Khaled Hanafi, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Chambers, Robins Hannun, President of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, while the webinar was moderated by Tamer Mansour, the Secretary-General and CEO of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, besides the participation of a number of SCCI and SEDC staff.

The event focused on the consequences of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on the food supply, its impact on the Arab and global food security, the food issues and challenges facing Brazil and the Arab countries, and the best practices adopted by various countries in the current circumstances.

Keeping Pace with Global Changes

His Excellency Mohammad Ahmed Amin Al-Awadi, SCCI’s Director-General, said: “The SCCI is keen to take part in such events to enhance the interaction of its employees with other economic institutions and to introduce them to latest global developments in the economic scene, as well as to follow up on the implementation of action plans for external events, by taking advantage of the state-of-the-art digital infrastructure to streamline communication between the business community in Sharjah and various countries of the world.”

He added that the SCCI will pursue its role as a link between the Emirate of Sharjah and countries of the world even in light of today’s challenges, pointing out that Brazil is one of the largest food suppliers to Arab countries and Brazil’s agricultural industries sector is one of the main pillars that strengthen relations between the UAE and Brazil since this important sector covers the entire scope of the supply chain.

“We expect this webinar to help the companies operating in this sector in Sharjah understand of the Brazilian vision and policy, thus taking serious steps to enhance the strategic food stockpile of the basic materials in the emirate and maintain the flow of goods and commodities, as well as to enhance the private sector’s participation with the relevant government agencies to protect the security and safety of citizens, residents, and visitors, and to maintain the continuity of their business,” Al-Awadi concluded.

Exploring the Future

Abdul Aziz Shattaf, SCCI’s Assistant General Director, Members Services Sector and Director of Sharjah Exports Development Center, said: “The SCCI’s smart transformation in terms of organizing  events, training workshops, and awareness meetings are attributed to its adoption for a sophisticated technical system, as well as its readiness to provide the private sector with all available means and capabilities for exploring the future.”

“The SCCI and SEDC are committed to discussing topics of strategic importance to the business sector. This webinar is the first of a series of virtual meetings, through which we will highlight issues of concern to merchants and the business community such as the supply chain, logistical support, trade and export and other emerging issues due to the outbreak of COVID-19,” he underlined.

Supporting the Private Sector

The webinar focused on the role the chambers of commerce should play in supporting the private sector to face challenges in the food supply chain between Brazil and the Arab countries.

The participants also stressed the need to overcome all obstacles by establishing direct shipping lines between Brazil and the Arab countries. This would help reduce costs and lessen the time of the process of exporting Brazilian products to Arab countries.