On a mission to Asia, the government seeks to remove barriers to Brazilian meatpacking plants

The Brazilian delegation that embarked this Friday (10/27) for Asia, led by the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, will try to remove some barriers that impede the flow of business between national slaughterhouses and Indonesian importers. Although the market is open, a rule in the trade agreement provides that purchases of Brazilian beef must be made by an Indonesian state company with taxes close to US$500 per ton. The measure is imposed only on Brazil and has hampered business, according to the Secretary of Commerce and International Relations of the Ministry of Agriculture, Roberto Perosa. “We will ask for equal treatment from other exporting countries [such as Australia, which do not have this tax on sales ]. This tax means that we are not exporting any beef there, as it is unviable,” said Perosa. The effective opening of the Indonesian market took place at the beginning of this year. According to the secretary, the taxation was foreseen in previous negotiations. In ...