Minister of Food Processing Industries (MoFPI), Pashupati Kumar Paras held a bilateral meeting with the Governor of the state of Mato Grosso of Brazil, Mauro Mendes Ferreira in New Delhi on Monday. The India-Brazil bilateral meeting was attended by the Additional Secretary, MoFPI, Minhaj Alam and senior officials from the ministry. From the Brazil side, the Governor was accompanied by Kenneth Nóbrega, Ambassador of Brazil to India and other senior officials of Brazil.
“Both sides discussed the historic relationship both countries enjoy which goes back to over 70 years. The recent high-level interactions and visits are testimony to both sides’ commitment to strengthening bilateral relations, and this momentum needs to be continued, sustained, and further strengthened,” MoFPI said. Pashupati Kumar Paras highlighted that the Prime Ministers of our respective nations had very productive meetings on the sidelines of G7 Summit as well as G20 Summit.
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Governor Mauro Mendes Ferreira emphasised that India is a key strategic partner for Brazil and Brazil commends as well as congratulates the visionary steps taken by the Indian government to foster development in the country. Ferreira also applauded the recent success of Indian space missions and the strong performance of India’s food processing, pharma, and energy sectors.
At the India-Brazil bilateral meeting, Paras inquired about the status of agrifood production in Brazil in accordance with the agro-climatic in general and specific to the state of Mato Grosso. Brazil officials expressed their interest in expanding their export of soybean, corn, cotton, and poultry meat among other agricultural commodities to India in the near future.
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Both sides acknowledged the strategic importance of each other in fostering food security. India as one of the largest producers of agrifood and Brazil as one the largest exporter of food can work towards ensuring food security for the world. The Brazilian side highlighted that the bilateral trade between the two countries has expanded by 32 per cent to US$15.2 billion in 2022.
The two countries discussed synergies and explored possibilities for further collaboration and coordination in the food processing sector particularly in terms of exchange of goods and human resources. Both sides agreed to continue to work in partnership with each other to facilitate an even greater exchange of goods and ideas.
