Farming machinery maker selling product in 9 Arab countries

(MENAFN- Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA)) Thais Sousa

São Paulo – Brazil's agricultural machinery manufacturer Grupo Jacto has been shipping product to the Arab countries for at least 25 years now. During this time, the destination countries changed and the brand's market share went up. Right now, there are Jacto product distributors in nine Arab countries.

Countries like Algeria and Tunisia, which used to import items from Jacto in 2005, no longer do. They have been replaced by the likes of Sudan and Jordan. Jacto distributors are also in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, the UAE and Lebanon.

Based in Pompéia, São Paulo, Jacto has divisions including e Máquinas Agrícolas Jacto, for large-sized products, and Jacto Portáteis, for portables. The bulk of sales in Arab countries consist of portable handheld battery-powered sprayers whose affordability appeals to cooperatives and to smallholder and medium-sized farmers.

Jacto portables sell in 100 different countries, with exports accounting for 70% of sales. 'We make them, but we don't sell direct to end buyers; that's why we have distributors in Arab countries. In some cases, demand is going up, so there's more than one distributor,' Jacto Portable Equipment Unit commercial manager André Ribeiro de Farias told ANBA.

Much of Jacto's exports ship to Latin America. The Middle East, Africa and Asia take in a combined 15% of foreign sales. 'There's a demand for innovative products in the Middle East, and our foothold there is growing bigger,' explained Farias, who sees the region as an important market.

In order to meet the demand from places like the Middle East, the company invests in technology. An addition to the portables portfolio this year is a battery-powered backpack sprayer which connects to smartphones via Bluetooth technology. Users control the equipment using an app designed by Jacto. So far, the equipment is only available in Brazil, but it's expected to ship abroad as of next year. 'Our buyers are very professional, so they require pro-level product. We are going to want to sell wherever we can, and soon,' Farias concluded.

Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum

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