India has requested greater market access for its exports of pomegranate, garlic, grapes and raisins to Brazil, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said Friday after meeting his Brazilian counterpart, Minister for Agrarian Development and Family Farming Luiz Paulo Teixeira Ferreira.
“Talks are ongoing in Brazil regarding the export of Indian pomegranates, garlic, grapes, and raisins. Several issues related to market access and trade facilitation were discussed,” Chouhan said after a meeting with Ferreira.
Brazil is currently discussing exports of tea, tur dal, and a host of agri-commodities with Indian officials.
Chouhan said the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and Brazil’s counterpart institution, Embrapa, are discussing signing memorandum of understanding (MoU) for mutual cooperation in several areas in agriculture and allied sectors.
In addition, Brazil has agreed to set up a centre of excellence in India and agreed to collaborate in boosting productivity of pulses and integrated farming model.
Beyond Commodities
To boost regenerative agriculture, Brazil has envisaged interest in natural farming and organic farming being promoted by the agriculture ministry.
Ferreira on Thursday had visited the ICAR affiliated Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Uttar Pradesh, to study India’s experience with nature-based agricultural solutions.
Ferreira is part of the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s largest ever delegation of cabinet ministers and businessmen visiting India.
To diversify import dependence on a few countries, India has started sourcing pulses such as urad and soybean oils from Brazil in the last couple of years. The move is expected to bridge the shortfall in domestic supplies while Brazil, through Embrapa, is expected to provide technology for boosting pulses productivity.
Sources said that the application from Brazil for exporting tur, the pulses variety which India imports in significant quantity from countries such as Myanmar, Tanzania and Malawi, is under consideration.
Recently a Brazilian official had stated that the South American country is working with Indian officials to finalise phytosanitary agreement to work supplying varieties of pulses to the Indian market, while it can emerge as key supplier of edible oils — soybean and sunflower.
India imports about 58% of its edible oil consumption from Indonesia, Malaysia, Argentina, Russia and Ukraine.
Diversifying the Basket
Last year, Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) had announced setting up its first plant abroad for manufacturing nano-fertilisers in Brazil.
The plant will be set up under a 7:3 joint venture between IFFCO subsidiary IFFCO Nanoventions, and Brazilian company NANOFERT. It will produce 4.5 million litres of nano-fertilisers annually.
Meanwhile, Leads Connect, an agritech firm that provides full stack solutions to farmers, inaugurated its AI-enabled Integrated Command Centre for Risk Intelligence and AI-powered large-scale intelligence platform, KEDAR–PARVATI in the presence of a Brazilian delegation.