Brazil and Paraguay signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday (9) on issues in the area of animal and plant health. The matter was discussed at a meeting between Minister Tereza Cristina (Agriculture, Livestock and Supply) and the Paraguayan Minister of Agriculture, Denis Lichi, in Asunción.
According to the minister, the memorandum deals with issues such as sanitary vacuum, use of agricultural pesticides, soybean planting season and the construction of a public foot-and-mouth disease vaccine bank between the two countries.
“We discussed matters of interest between the two countries in the area of animal and plant health, focusing on the markets we have together and which will allow us to increase the market opening between our countries,” she said. According to her, there will be a joint meeting between the two countries every three or four months to advance on these issues.
Borders
For the Secretary of Agricultural Defense of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, José Guilherme Leal, the agreements reinforce border control. “This gives more credibility and security to livestock farmers in relation to their herds and support in the international market, due to the integrated reinforcement of the two countries,” said the secretary, after the meeting.
According to him, the agreed reinforcement involves health issues in very important chains, such as beef cattle. “And, in the plant area, the focus is on the soybean production chain, on controlling Asian rust. It will allow greater efficiency of our health service”, he explained.
The secretary noted that the agreement brings benefits to producers, improving the control of animal diseases and plant pests. “It also strengthens us from the point of view of exports. The stronger health services of both countries give us the conditions to expand the market at this important moment when Mercosur has reached an agreement with the European Union.”
Bilateral trade is also favored, said Leal, “with integrated customs control measures and other additional measures to reduce bureaucracy, for effective control, but providing a greater flow of goods from one side to the other.”
The Ministry’s Secretary of Agricultural Policy, Eduardo Sampaio Marques, commented that it is “very important to coordinate the planting calendar with Paraguay, specifically for soybeans,” to control pests. The Secretary of Commerce and International Relations, Orlando Ribeiro, also participated in the meeting.
Rice
During the meeting, the minister proposed the organization of an agreement between the private sector of both countries on the periods for rice exports. According to her, the entry of the product from Paraguay into Brazil does not involve a problem of volume. “These are specific issues of taxes in certain states and the import period,” she said.
According to the minister, the strength exerted by traders in the months when the produce is harvested drives down the price of the product. She added that producers have suffered greatly with the price. “This year, there was a drop in production, with the flood and then drought, and even so, the price did not recover to compensate for production costs.”
According to her, this is a problem throughout Mercosur, Uruguay, Paraguay and Brazil. “It is not a government issue, but we can organize discussions to improve the situation,” she suggested.
The minister also commented that she has been working together with secretaries from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply to expand markets instead of competing for space in Mercosur.
Fishing
Fisheries Secretary Jorge Seif said that the Paraguayan government will have to change the legislation that will allow tilapia production in Lake Itaipu. “They have committed to doing this,” said the secretary, noting that Minister Ricardo Salles (Environment) has already reversed the ban on exotic species.
The expectation is to produce “what is produced in all of Brazil, which is 400 thousand tons, with 50% going to Paraguayan producers and 50% to Brazilians”.
