China remains as the focus of the Ministry of Agriculture

The 103-day delay for reopening the Chinese market to Brazilian beef did not stem from technical or communication issues, according to Agriculture Minister Tereza Cristina. She is confident in the good relationship with Chinese authorities and that the two countries will resume the pre-pandemic agenda and build even further qualifications together.

As a result of the beef ban, the Ministry was pressured to provide support to medium-sized meat-packing companies that were left without their most prominent customer.  The drop in the price of the arroba was only recently reversed. The minister said that the topic demands more in-depth explanations from Brasília.

“There were two [atypical “mad cow disease” cases] at the same time. They wanted to check the system and recheck it. And they made use of the conveniences and strategies that belong to each country”, she said to Valor. The return to normal trade patterns brings relief to ranchers and new opportunities for Brazil, she said. “The Brazilian inspection system was validated by the main partner. We have shown other countries that Brazil is doing its homework”, she said.

Once the turmoil of the embargo has passed, the minister wants to return to themes that have been gotten stuck in the negotiation process with China since the beginning of the pandemic. She now sees room for new licenses for Brazilian plants and expects results in 2022. At least 12 slaughterhouses await Beijing’s approval. There was a decline in import tariffs on Brazilian fish.

“The relationship continues as it has always been. We treat China as a very important partner due to the volume of commodities they need and Brazil has to offer”, she said. The minister’s concern is now focused on the supply of inputs for the next harvest. Despite alarmism, Tereza Cristina trusts the potential of the “substantial volumes” of fertilizers imported in advance by the most capitalized producers in the country and does foresee that this crisis will leave any effects on the next harvests.

“There is a concern, but this is not an issue that will keep us from having good results”, she assessed. The real danger is in the costs of production, a global trend aggravated by the exchange rate in Brazil, argues Cristina. “The producer will have to do a lot of math”.

Source: Valor Econômico

To read the full original article, visit the link: 

https://valor.globo.com/agronegocios/noticia/2021/12/17/china-permanece-no-foco-do-ministerio.ghtml

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