The announcement was made on March 14 by the minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, Tereza Cristina, who is traveling to Canada.
With this, Brazil surpassed the mark of 200 new foreign markets for agricultural products opened since the beginning of 2019.
Minister Tereza Cristina celebrated the achievement. “This market opening means that we exceed the 200 markets stipulated by me in the Ministry of Agriculture and it is also very good news for Brazilian meatpackers who can employ and bring income to the interior of our country”, he said when leaving the meeting with the Canadian Deputy Minister.
The secretary of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry, Orlando Leite Ribeiro explains that, taking into account the market share of Brazil for these two products, it is possible to estimate exports of around US$ 150 million per year.
“Bearing in mind that Canada has no import tax on swine, this is a market that can go beyond the basic market share. In the case of beef, there is a rate of around 26.5% on imports, but we can access that market via a WTO quota of 76.4 thousand tons, with a tariff of 0%”.
For beef, exports are allowed to all states that still vaccinate their herds against foot-and-mouth disease, in addition to Santa Catarina, which was the first state recognized as being free of the disease without vaccination. The remaining states that had this status recognized last year still need to go through a Canadian recognition process.
In the case of pork, for the time being, export is only authorized for slaughterhouses in Santa Catarina, the only state that is already recognized as free from foot-and-mouth disease, classical swine fever and African swine fever. The Mapa has already filed a request for recognition of the states of Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul as free states of these three diseases.
At the meeting, topics such as sustainability and cooperation between the two countries in the area of research and technology were discussed. Tereza Cristina highlighted that Brazil and Canada are leaders committed to safe, science-based and sustainable agriculture and recalled Brazil's performance during the UN Food Systems Summit and COP26.
Also participating in the meeting were the ambassador of Brazil to Canada, Pedro Borio; the director of the Secretariat for Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic, Bruno Caligaris, and the agricultural attaché in Ottawa, Paulo Márcio Araújo.
On the trip to Ottawa, meetings are planned with presidents of potash producing and exporting companies located in the country to discuss the possibility of increasing potash exports to Brazil.
Today the minister will have meetings with the presidents of companies Gensource, Nutrien, Canpotex and Fertilizer Canada. On March 13, Tereza Cristina met with the board of Brazil Potash, a privately held Brazilian company, controlled by Brazilian and foreign investors. She highlighted Brazil's dependence on fertilizer imports and the need to expand imports at this time.
“For Brazil to continue increasing its food supply and to contribute to Brazil's and the world's food security, we will need adequate supplies of this input. This means not just securing current levels of purchases, but expanding them.”
The mayor of Autazes (AM), Andreson Cavalcante, also participated in the event, emphasizing that there is good will on the part of the municipal government for the potash exploration project in the municipality to take place. ■
International measures on illegal deforestation are beginning to put pressure on Brazil, where banks have agreed to deny credit to meat packers that purchase cattle from such areas, according to the Brazilian Federation of Banks (Febraban).