Brazilian delegation travels to Mexico to discuss trade partnerships

A Brazilian delegation is traveling to Mexico at the beginning of the week to discuss trade partnerships amid the United States’ tariff hike on Brazilian products. The trade mission will be led by Vice President and Minister of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), Geraldo Alckmin.

While maintaining its stance of negotiating with the Donald Trump administration, the Brazilian government is also evaluating the possibility of opening new markets to redirect, at least in part, its exports. It has also announced relief measures for the sectors and companies most affected by the tariffs.

Over the weekend, during an event hosted by the Workers’ Party (PT) in Brasília, Alckmin noted that the tariff hike currently affects 36% of Brazil’s exports to the United States. The sectors of greatest concern, according to the vice president, are in industry, particularly textiles, machinery, and equipment.

In its relations with Mexico, sectors with potential to strengthen trade ties include biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), and agribusiness. “We have a very significant trade flow with Mexico,” said Alckmin on Saturday, as reported by news outlet G1.

Last year, Brazil’s agribusiness exports to the Mexican market totaled 3.23 million tonnes, generating revenue of US$2.92 billion, according to Agrostat, the Ministry of Agriculture’s statistics system. In terms of value, the top export sectors were meat, soy complex, forest products, coffee, and the sugar-alcohol complex.