Brazilian agribusiness needs to develop a strong strategy of maintaining and opening up new markets in the international agricultural trade, said experts gathered at the 2018 Agribusiness Summit, held last Tuesday (13th), in São Paulo (SP).
According to Rodrigo Lima do Agroicone, Brazil has neglected bilateral agreements in recent years, favoring multilateral negotiations. “We need to act on both sides, both of which are important, not least because issues that are prominent in trade today are no longer covered by the WTO.” These include criteria such as sanity and sustainability.
According to Pedro Fernandes, agribusiness director of Itaú BBA, Brazilian agriculture needs to invest in new skills to go beyond the ports of importing countries, aiming to reach the retail market. According to the executive, it is necessary to show sustainability and traceability – demands that the consumer values more and more – of our agricultural products as a way to get out of the siege of tariffs and trade barriers.
Michael McDougall of EDF Man Capital Markets pointed out that Brazilian agribusiness needs to invest in international marketing and treat customers “with care.” According to Fernando Galletti, CEO of Minerva, the opening of new markets will require a concatenated effort between Itamaraty, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Industry, Foreign Trade and Services – or another that may incorporate it – and the private sector. As an example of the challenges in the international agricultural trade, Galletti said, for example, that Brazilian meat only enters China with a 24% tax, whereas New Zealand or Australian products do not pay a tariff.
According to the Secretary of Defense of Agriculture of the Ministry of Agriculture, Luis Eduardo Rangel, the commercial policy of the new government does not have to start from scratch, but rather to follow up on actions taken in the administration of Minister Blairo Maggi.
This text was translated by machine from Brazilian Portuguese.