Latest news with #agricultura
South China Morning Post
06-07-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
China's Li, Brazil's Lula pledge joint effort to bring AI to farming in both of their countries
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Chinese Premier Li Qiang agreed to cooperate on bringing artificial intelligence to improve agriculture in both of their countries, and Lula called on his counterpart to join an initiative aimed at saving the world's forests. In a statement issued from the sidelines of the annual Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro, the two sides also highlighted the 'excellent moment in bilateral relations' and reaffirmed their 'commitment to multilateralism and peace, underlining the role of BRICS in defending multilateral trade and climate regimes'. Plans for the centre, whose focus will be on farming in semi-arid regions, were initially agreed to in Brasília during a meeting last month between Luciana Santos, Brazil's minister of science, technology and innovation, and Lin Xin, China's vice-minister of science and technology and secretary for technological development. One of the centre's first projects will be the creation of an AI laboratory focused on supporting family farming, through a partnership between Brazil's National Semi-arid Institute (Insa) and the China Agricultural University. According to Insa Director José Etham Barbosa, the joint project aims to find ways to connect AI technologies to machinery commonly used on smaller-scale farms to improve environmental monitoring and soil quality. The Sertão region in Brazil's northeast is home to nearly 22 million people, making it one of the world's most populous and biodiverse semi-arid areas. Covering about 11 per cent of the country's territory, it is characterised by heat, drought and sparse vegetation.
Bloomberg
01-07-2025
- Business
- Bloomberg
Higher Loan Rates in Brazil Threaten Tractor Sales Rebound
Brazil has raised interest rates on farm equipment financing, threatening to constrain a much-needed recovery in tractor sales. Borrowing costs under a key government credit line were boosted by 2 percentage points to as much as 13.5% a year, the Brazilian agriculture ministry said Tuesday. The move should have a 'downward bias' on domestic tractor sales projections, according to Pedro Oliveira, head of a farm equipment sector chamber at industry group Abimaq, which represents manufacturers including Deere & Co.
Reuters
04-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Plant of Coca-Cola maker suspended for potential contamination in Brazil
BRASILIA, June 4 (Reuters) - A plant owned by Brazilian soft drink firm Solar, which produces for Coca-Cola (KO.N), opens new tab, had a fault in its cooling system detected, leading production and bottling to be suspended as a precautionary measure, Brazil's government said on Wednesday. Production was halted after authorities established a liquid used in the cooling process had come in contact with products being manufactured, Brazil's agriculture ministry said, in reference to an on-site inspection of the plant in Ceara state. The liquid in question contains food-grade alcohol that does not pose a high health risk and does not contain toxic substances, the ministry added in a statement. All of the products that may have been compromised remain in the company's inventory, Agriculture Minister Carlos Favaro told a press conference in Brasilia, adding that there was no risk that the affected products could have reached supermarkets. According to the ministry, the production suspension will be maintained until Solar enforces the necessary corrections and proves the elimination of all risks in the production process, which may occur as early as today. Samples from about 9 million liters of soft drinks await laboratory analysis, which should be concluded in five days, the ministry said. Solar and Coca-Cola did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters
30-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Brazil economic growth stays strong, supported by farm output, investments
BRASILIA, May 30 (Reuters) - Brazil's economy posted robust growth in the first quarter despite climbing interest rates as fixed investments, household consumption and strong farm output underpinned activity, pushing inflation to a two-year high. Gross domestic product in Latin America's largest economy rose 1.4% in the January-to-March period from the previous quarter, government statistics agency IBGE said on Friday, in line with the growth forecast in a Reuters poll of economists. GDP expanded 2.9% from a year earlier, below expectations for a 3.2% increase. On the supply side, agriculture stood out with a 12.2% gain from the previous quarter, fueled by a bumper soybean harvest. Services, which make up roughly 70% of Brazil's economy, expanded 0.3% amid a tight labor market, while industrial output slipped 0.1%. On the demand side, investments measured by gross fixed capital formation stood out with a 3.1% rise from the prior quarter. Household consumption also contributed with 1.0% growth, supported by measures from leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to boost disposable income, including a minimum wage hike. Government spending increased by 0.1%. The strong economic performance came despite the central bank's aggressive monetary tightening, which has raised the benchmark Selic interest rate by 425 basis points since September, to a nearly 20-year high of 14.75%. The government expects soaring interest rates to weigh more on economic activity in the second half of the year, projecting GDP growth to slow to 2.4% in 2025 from 3.4% last year.
Reuters
28-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Brazil's Tocantins state says agriculture ministry ruled out bird flu on commercial farm
SAO PAULO, May 28 (Reuters) - Brazil's Tocantins state said on Wednesday the agriculture ministry has ruled out an outbreak of bird flu on a local commercial farm, citing conclusive test results received from the ministry. There are currently seven potential outbreaks of highly pathological avian influenza in Brazil under investigation, including one on a commercial farm in Rio Grande do Sul, according to the ministry's website.
