Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina said on Monday that Canada has authorized the start of imports of beef and pork produced in Brazil. She is in the country to meet Canadian executives to try and expand the potash supply to Brazil.
“The opening means that we exceed the 200 markets set by me as a goal 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 the country,” the minister said in a video posted on social media.
With the authorizations confirmed on Monday, Brazil surpassed the threshold of 200 open markets since the beginning of 2019, when Ms. Cristina took office. She said that Canada is “one of the most important markets in the world.”
The Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) celebrated the opening of the Canadian market for pork from Brazil. The organization clarified that, at first, the green light is valid only for the product from Santa Catarina, which was the only state free from foot-and-mouth disease without vaccination when the request was made.
“Negotiations will continue for the inclusion, in the future, of new areas already recognized with the same status by the World Organization for Animal Health,” the ABPA said in a note. Santa Catarina accounts for over 50% of Brazilian pork exports.
Ms. Cristina left for Canada on Saturday. In Ottawa, she met with representatives of Brasil Potash, a Canadian-controlled company that explores a deposit in the Amazon, and with Canada’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Paul Samson.
“For our country to continue increasing the food supply and contributing to world food security, we will need potassium fertilizers,” the minister wrote in another post. “This does not just mean ensuring current levels of purchases, but expanding them. We can and must strengthen our ties and strengthen long-term partnerships. This means, in practice, food in quantity and quality at affordable prices on everyone’s table,” she said.
Tereza Cristina will also meet with the chief executives of Gensource, Mike Ferguson, of Nutrien, Ken Seitz, of Canpotex, Gordon Mckenzie, and of Fertilizer Canada, Karen Proud.
Source: Valor International