Fortaleza, Brazil, 5 May – Brazilian and Portuguese business people, meeting at the weekend in Baia, said on Monday that the international economic crisis “had not affected trade between Baia and Portugal” which had risen more than eight percent over the last four years.

Statistics for 2008 show that trade between Brazil and Portugal stood at US$80.2 million, against US$52.8 million in 2004, an average annual growth of 8.7 percent.

Portugal is ranked 31st on the list of trade partners with Baia and contributed 0.36 percent of Baia’s total exports last year and 0.76 percent of imports.

Also, Portuguese investments reached approximately 2 billion reais (692 million Euros) in the last two years, according to figures from the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in Baia.

The Baia Portugal Business Opportunities Seminar, held in Guarajuba, in North West Brazil, closed with “an extremely positive balance” said one of the organizers on Monday.

“Important contracts were signed and contacts established, showing that the economic crisis is not affecting businesspeople interested in trade between Baia and Portugal,” said Augusto Carreira, the new head of the Portuguese Chamber of Commerce in the state, which promoted the event.

With the theme “There is no crisis between Brazil and Portugal,” the meeting took place in a hotel 40 kilometres from Salvador and was attended by 350 people. (macauhub)