On the sidelines of the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meeting held on September 12 and 13, 2024, in Cuiaba, Brazil committed to collaborating with India on ethanol production technology.
On September 13, a meeting took place between India’s Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Ram Nath Thakur, and Brazil’s Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Favaro, as announced by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare in a release on Sunday.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed cooperation in science and technology, ethanol production, and market access. They agreed to work together in these areas and expressed hope that the Memorandum of Understanding between ICAR (India) and EMBRAPA (Brazil) would be finalized before the G20 leaders’ summit in November.
India is seeking access to the Brazilian market for sorghum, rapeseed, cotton, wheat, barley, and onion bulbs, while Brazil is seeking access to the Indian market for citrus and other products. Both ministers were optimistic about resolving the trade issues that are currently impeding progress.
In June 2024, at the 63rd council meeting of the International Sugar Organisation (ISO), India sought support and cooperation from member countries to adopt more sustainable practices in sugarcane cultivation, sugar and ethanol production, and the better utilization of by-products.
India is the third-largest ethanol producer globally, behind the USA and Brazil. The ethanol blending percentage in India increased from 5% in 2019-20 to 12% in 2022-23, with production rising from 173 crore liters to over 500 crore liters during the same period, according to the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution.
Official data shows that in 2022, bilateral trade between India and Brazil grew by 32% to USD 15.2 billion (with India’s exports at USD 8.8 billion and imports at USD 6.4 billion). In 2023, India’s exports were USD 6.9 billion, while imports were USD 4.7 billion.
The Indian delegation, led by Ram Nath Thakur, also held bilateral meetings with representatives from the USA, Brazil, Germany, the UK, Japan, Spain, and the UAE.
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