Brazilian Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, announced the authorization of 11 refrigerating plants for Indonesia, in addition to the possibility of overturning the suspension of exports of three plants to China.
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The announcement was made in a meeting with the President of the Republic, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Brazil has been without enabling new refrigeration plants for China since 2019. The possibility of lifting the suspension is for a cattle and two poultry slaughtering companies, which had suspended exports to China since 2022. In the case of Indonesia, all new permits are for bovine plants.
Also announced January 18 was the first opening of the market registered by Brazil in 2023, which is cotton lint to Egypt.
At the end of the meeting, Fávaro highlighted that these achievements are a sign of the return of Brazil's credibility in the international market.
“It is the fruit of the work of entrepreneurs and technicians at the Ministry of Agriculture, but also of President Lula's credibility. These are actions that took place in the last few hours that showed that the world has returned to believe in Brazil, the job opportunities will happen here, ”he said.
The Egyptian government, through the official Vegetal Quarantine body, opened the market for Plume Cotton from Brazil, defining the phytosanitary requirements for importing the product. This was the first market opening registered by Brazil in 2023.
Negotiations to open the market began in 2006 and intensified from 2020, finally resulting now in the opening of the market.
According to the minister, this market opening represents recognition of the quality of the Brazilian product. “Who doesn't want to buy a shirt or a sheet with the quality of Egyptian cotton? If Brazil is going to export to Egypt, it means that it has quality, credibility and respect. Upon receiving this authorization to export to Egypt, we received the seal of quality for Brazilian cotton for the whole world,” he said.
Egypt imports approximately 120,000 tons of cotton lint annually, with the main suppliers being Greece, Burkina Faso, Benin and Sudan. Brazil can benefit from a window of opportunity between the months of July and September, as Greek exports only start in October.
It is estimated that Brazil has the potential to meet, in principle, 20-25% of Egyptian demand. ■