In a meeting with the deputy minister of the General Administration of Customs of China, Zou Zhiwu, the Minister of Agriculture, Blairo Maggi, was informed that there progress in the negotiations between the two countries in the Chinese Subcommittee on Inspection and Quarantine.
Two years ago, Brazil and China halted the meetings in this subcommittee, which approves sanitary and phytosanitary conditions for trade in agricultural products with China.
Among the issues that Brazil will take to be addressed in the subcommittee later this year are the exports of pigs and beef cattle, bone-in meat and heat-processed meats. “This is only possible,” said Maggi, “because we are receiving the FMD free country certificate from the OIE (World Organization for Animal Health).”
Brazil is waiting for the arrival of a Chinese veterinary mission to inspect poultry, beef and donkey plants.
The minister also recalled that the export and import of fruit should also be included in the trade negotiations. China intends to import rice, dairy products, flour for animal feed and fertile eggs, and export fish to Brazil. “We are making progress in diversifying our exports,” Maggi said.
China is the largest market for Brazilian agricultural products, consuming 39% of our total exports. In 2017, shipments totaled US $ 26 billion, with soybeans (US $ 20.3 billion) and pulp (US $ 2.6 billion) leading. Imports of Chinese products in the same period reached US $ 1.1 billion, mainly cotton and cotton textiles (US $ 288.2 million).