New Delhi: Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Shobha Karandlaje, engaged in a constructive interaction with a delegation from Brazil led by Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply, Carlos Favaro.
Expressing her appreciation for Brazil’s support to the Indian Presidency during the G20 Agriculture Working Group Meetings, Shobha Karandlaje conveyed her regret for Minister Carlos Favaro’s absence at the G20 Agriculture Minister’s Meeting in Hyderabad. She highlighted the importance of the visit in further bolstering the growing cooperation between India and Brazil in the agriculture sector.
Shobha Karandlaje emphasized the existing flourishing bilateral agricultural trade between the two nations and the potential for enhancing cooperation in various areas, including food processing, agro-industry, and agricultural research and development.
Addressing specific agricultural interests, she mentioned the increasing demand for avocados in India, offering an opportunity for importing avocados from Brazil. India committed to supporting Brazil’s successful G20 Presidency and welcomed Brazil’s initiative to establish a task force, the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty, in alignment with India’s Deccan High-Level Principles on Food Security and Nutrition.
Carlos Favaro, in response, conveyed his gratitude for the warm reception and extended greetings from President Lula. He highlighted Brazil’s commitment to strengthening relationships within the BRICS framework with a focus on the Global South and the Middle East. Brazil expressed its dedication to environmental protection while ensuring that environmental concerns do not impede international trade. The commitment to increasing food production and expanding the agricultural area without harming the environment was underscored.
Carlos Favaro noted the common challenges faced by Brazil and India in the agricultural sector and stressed the potential for finding standardized solutions to address them. Hunger alleviation remained a key priority for Brazil, and they expressed a willingness to collaborate with India through technology transfer, knowledge sharing, and joint efforts to combat hunger.
Brazil eagerly anticipates India’s specific interests and demands to facilitate institutional-level discussions. The promotion of bilateral trade was emphasized, with Brazil’s willingness to open its market to various agricultural products and expedite Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) related negotiations to facilitate trade. An official invitation for India to host the 2024 G20 presidency was extended by the Brazilian delegation.
Members of the Brazilian delegation shared insights into their best agricultural practices, including the use of drip irrigation in the horticulture sector, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts in fruit production.
The president of Apex Brazil highlighted the need for the existing trade relations between India and Brazil to match the potential of both nations. Apex Brazil is conducting an assessment of investment opportunities in both countries and encouraged the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare to provide their insights.
To conclude the session, the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare mentioned the possibility of establishing a joint working group between the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to facilitate more efficient future discussions with Brazil. Plans were outlined to compile a list of collaboration points, with the appointment of a senior officer to lead the development of the relationship, focusing on effective implementation and monitoring of actionable items. The aim is to promptly identify common issues and areas for collaboration.