President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated, this Monday (15), that the collective work of the government and the quality of national production are responsible for the opening of more than 500 international markets for Brazilian agricultural products between 2023 and 2025. “The success of the things that are happening in Brazil is due to the learning that we have had over many years,” he said.
Lula participated in the inauguration of the new headquarters of ApexBrasil, the country’s trade promotion agency abroad, in Brasília. The event also celebrates the opening of 500 new markets outside Brazil, which have already resulted in US$ 3.4 billion in exports.
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This trade expansion effort is led by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa), with participation from ApexBrasil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE), and the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Services, and in coordination with the private sector.
“What’s happening in Brazil today is that we produce to meet the domestic market, and we produce so well that we manage to meet the needs of the foreign market. That’s the most perfect thing that could happen,” Lula emphasized.
The president praised the work of the ministers and authorities involved in Brazil’s internationalization and said he wants to expand it further. Next year, for example, he will participate in the Hannover Fair in Germany, one of the world’s leading events for innovation and industrial technology. According to Lula, the national industry is already competitive and has its own identity.
“We no longer need what they need. Now, it’s up to us to say that. So, at this fair, we’re going to see if we can bring the largest number of businesspeople we’ve ever brought, because we’ve had enough of Brazil presenting itself as a victim,” he stated.
Lula will also travel to South Korea, where he wants to explore partnerships in the cosmetics sector, and to India, where, according to him, there is potential in the areas of defense, pharmaceuticals, and agricultural technologies.
The 500 markets opened in more than 80 countries have export potential of over US$37.5 billion per year, according to estimates from Mapa. Each country can have several markets for different types of products. Among the items enabled in these new markets, highlights include meat, cotton, fruits, and fish.
According to the Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Carlos Fávaro, the “historic achievement” of commercial expansion is a result of good Brazilian diplomacy and the country’s production capacity. He also recalled that, in 2025, Brazil received certification as a country free of foot-and-mouth disease .
“For 72 years, Brazil fought against this disease. And the world now recognizes the safety of Brazilian products, the capacity to produce more and more with guaranteed quality. To achieve this, to gain workforce strength, we went from 29 attachés [representatives of the country abroad] to 40 new attachés traveling to different countries, interacting with businesspeople. In short, a task force that is always unprecedented,” he stated.
According to Fávaro, the 500 new markets will gradually transform into new businesses. “The businessman on the other side buys a product, makes the first shipment, sees that the product is good, sees that it arrives on time, that there is demand and that Brazil can meet that demand, so he will expand. The result of these 500 markets, Brazil will understand in the coming years, the odyssey and the great opportunity,” he added.
Lula participates in the inauguration of the new ApexBrasil headquarters and an event commemorating the opening of 500 new markets for the export of agricultural products – Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/Agência
Commercial promotion
According to ApexBrasil, between 2023 and 2025, the joint effort between the agency, the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) resulted in more than 170 international actions in 42 countries, reaching US$18 billion in projected business and serving more than three thousand Brazilian companies. During this period, 19 official presidential missions and 5 vice-presidential missions were carried out.
The president of ApexBrasil, Jorge Viana, also highlighted the importance of the partnership with the private sector.
“Apex has 52 agreements with 52 sectors of the Brazilian economy [for participation in events abroad]. These agreements are split 50/50, with Apex contributing half the funding and the organizations contributing half. Why? So that Brazil has a presence all over the world. There are a thousand events per year,” he said.
The president of APEXBrasil highlights that the organization participates in approximately one thousand business events per year – Fabio Rodrigues-Pozzebom/Agência
Officially created in 2003, during President Lula’s first term, and operating until October 2025, ApexBrasil registered 20,754 supported companies that year, 66% of which were micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises, with a special focus on the North and Northeast regions, as part of a strategy to decentralize trade promotion activities.
The Vice President and Minister of Industry, Trade and Services, Geraldo Alckmin, stated that Brazil is expected to break its export record this year. “Even with slower global growth and lower prices, we should reach a record of US$345 billion in exports and US$629 billion in trade volume. Even panettone exports have increased, rising 4% this year,” he said.
“There is no country in the world that has stronger and more sustainable growth that has not opened itself to the world, that has not prioritized foreign trade, that has not conquered the market,” added Alckmin.
