President points out to WTO Brazil's role in food security

Brazil plays an important role in providing food and agricultural inputs amid rising global food insecurity, President Jair Bolsonaro told World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, from Nigeria. The President and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos França met on Monday (April 18) with the economist, who is visiting Brazil.

According to França, President Bolsonaro has pointed out the importance of trade in agricultural products and inputs, such as fertilizers, to ensure global food security. The president also said the country has expectations that the 12th WTO Ministerial Meeting will have concrete results.

During the meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos França said the WTO has the mission at this moment to contribute to mitigating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the war between Russia and Ukraine on international food production and distribution chains. The minister informed that Brazil is committed to ensuring that the ministerial meeting results in progress in negotiations on the four main axes: trade and health, agriculture, fisheries subsidies, and WTO reform.

WTO Director-General Okonjo-Iweala on Monday (April 18) gave a lecture at the Rio Branco Diplomat Institute and met with parliamentarians from the Agricultural Parliamentary Front (FPA in the original Portuguese acronym) and representatives of the agribusiness sector.

On Tuesday (April 19) in São Paulo she will meet with representatives of the National Confederation of Industry (CNI) and the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp). On this occasion, Okonjo-Iweala will receive a document with the 13 priorities listed for the sector. She will also participate in a meeting with women entrepreneurs.