The President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, travels to India at the end of this week with the expectation of signing at least 12 trade agreements. The delegation's objective is to deepen relations between Brazil and the second most populous country in the world – with 1.3 billion inhabitants.
Bolsonaro is Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guest of honor for the Anniversary of the Republic of India ceremony – the country's most important event – and is expected to be outside Brazil between January 24th and 27th. “One of the central points of the visit is the approval of an action plan to strengthen the partnership, which will allow mapping and stimulating the achievement of the objectives (of both countries)”, said diplomat Reinaldo Salgado, secretary of bilateral negotiations in Asia, Pacific and Russia from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Agreements will be signed in the areas of taxation, investments, agribusiness, energy, cybersecurity and health. With four billion inhabitants, Asia has 65% of the world's population and is the main destination for Brazilian exports. “There is a lot of potential to be explored (in the region) and an example is India”, he reinforced. Estimates indicate that India will have the largest population in the world in 2030 and the country has grown in recent years at rates exceeding 7%. “It is a country with which we trade only US$ 7 billion. There is clearly something to improve”, he acknowledged.
The possibility of visa exemption for Indians to enter Brazil – suggested by the president and appreciated by India – should not be completed on this trip. “It is in the process of analysis. I am not sure that this analysis can be completed before the visit”, said Reinaldo Salgado last Friday, at an event at Itamaraty.
Agriculture
Cooperation in the area of bioenergy – especially ethanol – is one of the main topics of this trip. The Indians intend to direct part of the sugarcane production – which today turns into sugar – to increase the percentage of alcohol in gasoline.
Today, this mixture is no more than 7%. The objective is to reach 10% by 2022 and 20% in 2030. “We will take the Brazilian experience, the lessons learned and the benefits we have had over 40 years to the actors involved in this area in India – from the government, from the automobile industry , in the oil segment, so that they can have clarity on how to overcome the challenges”, explains Eduardo Leão, executive director of the Sugarcane Industry Union (Unica), the main association of mills in the country.
The measure is of interest to the Brazilian capital goods industry, which could help in the construction of new distilleries in India. Bean, chicken and pork exporters and livestock farmers will also be on Indian soil with the delegation. Rivaldo Machado Borges Júnior, president of the Brazilian Association of Zebu Breeders (ABCZ), one of the main entities in the sector, says he will sign a technical cooperation agreement with the government to develop dairy farming in India. “With this approach, we want to expand the trade of genetic material”, he states.
India is the birthplace of the zebu – a bovine lineage of breeds such as Nelore, Gir and Guzerá, well adapted to the Brazilian climate. This type of animal accounts for 80% of the national herd. “The only thing we need to better serve India is to organize ourselves. India needs our product and we need a customer like India to import”, summarizes Marcelo Luders, president of the Brazilian Institute of Beans and Pulses (Ibrafe).
In 2019, Brazil exported 165 thousand tons of beans of nine varieties to 80 countries. Revenue was US$ 111 million.
Who will
The delegation includes ministers Ernesto Araújo (Foreign Affairs), Tereza Cristina (Agriculture), Bento Albuquerque (Mines and Energy), Marcos Pontes (Science and Technology), Osmar Terra (Citizenship) and Augusto Heleno, head of the Institutional Security Office.
Schedule
Among the planned activities, President Jair Bolsonaro is expected to visit the memorial of pacifist leader Mahatma Ghandi, have lunch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and dinner with the President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, on his first day. On the 26th, he will participate in the Anniversary of the Republic of India and on Monday, the 27th, he will participate in panels on bioenergy, oil and gas, as well as events on innovation, investment facilitation and defense.
Source: Notícias Agrícolas
