Senior officials have held bilateral talks in Seoul aimed at boosting agribusiness trade between the two countries
Table grapes from Brazil could soon be granted tariff-free access to the South Korean market, with import duties on strawberries shipped from South Korea to Brazil also removed, after representatives from the two countries met to discuss potential ways to bolster bilateral trade relations.
Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) said it had made “significant progress” on the topic of agribusiness exports to the Asian country during a mission last week in Seoul.
“This mission further strengthened the commercial ties and cooperation between Brazil and South Korea,” said Mapa’s Secretary of Trade and International Relations, Roberto Perosa.
“The discussions opened new opportunities for Brazilian agribusiness, particularly in such a strategic market as South Korea. We are confident that these negotiations will lead to significant progress for our producers and the Brazilian economy.”
Perosa was accompanied by Brazil’s ambassador to Seoul, Márcia Donner Abreu, and agricultural attaché Ricardo Zanatta.
They met with Kang Hyoung-Seok, Deputy Minister of Coordination and Planning at South Korea’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, as well as Kim Jung-hee, Korean Commissioner of the Animal and Plant Quarantine Agency.
According to the WTO website, the standard most-favoured nation (MFN) tariff on fresh grapes shipped from Brazil to South Korea currently stands at 45 per cent, making it commercially unviable for all but a very tiny volume of shipments. For South Korean strawberries, the duty is 9 per cent.
