This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Brazil. Bilateral cooperation in various fields has achieved tangible results, especially in agriculture. In recent years, both sides have expanded the scale of agricultural trade and strengthened cooperation in agricultural development.

China is a major destination for Brazilian exports, and for Brazil, the Chinese market is of strong attraction and strategic importance.

China has been the largest export market for Brazilian beef for many years. In 2023, Brazil's beef exports to China accounted for 54.9 percent of its total beef exports. As a result of market expansion, China authorized 38 Brazilian meatpacking plants to export meat in March 2024, increasing the total number of plants to 144.

More meat plants exporting to China will create more jobs and boost local economic development in Brazil's inland regions, according to Roberto Perosa, secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture's Secretariat of Trade and International Relations.

Brazilian enterprises have participated in the China International Import Expo for six consecutive years. This has helped Brazilian meat, honey, propolis, wine, sparkling wine, coffee and other specialty agricultural products becoming familiar to Chinese consumers.

Shao Yingjun, chief minister of the Economic and Commercial Department of the Chinese Embassy in Brazil visited Mato Grosso in February. During the visit, a Brazilian representative said "The Chinese are our biggest buyers of soybeans and grains. We want to expand this trade, with the sale of more meat and cellulose, among others."

In February, the China-Brazil agricultural mechanization cooperation demonstration project was launched in Apodi, in the Northeast Region of Brazil. It focuses on promoting the application of smart agricultural innovation technologies such as precision sowing and fertilization, drone plant protection, and mechanized harvesting on Brazilian farms.

The first consignment of 31 tractors, planters, harvesters and supporting agricultural machinery from China were officially delivered to Brazil, visiting demonstration operations in nine states in northeastern Brazil.

Chinese experts shared the benefits of agricultural mechanization knowledge with local farmers.

In recent years, Chinese agricultural machinery and agricultural solutions have gradually been favored by the Brazilian market and helped Brazilian farmers improve their productivity. For example, of the 16 types of drones approved to date by Brazil's Civil Aviation Agency, seven are Chinese. Drones are widely used in Brazil's agricultural sector.

China and Brazil released a joint statement on deepening the comprehensive strategic partnership in April 2023. The statement affirmed the strategic significance of bilateral cooperation in agriculture and trade of agricultural products and pledged to strengthen dialogue to promote the development of trade in food and agricultural products.

In addition, the two sides also signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Promoting Social Development and Combating Hunger and Poverty, which expanded the scope of China–Brazil agricultural cooperation.

Meanwhile, research institutions from both countries are also taking action. South China Agricultural University has signed cooperation agreements with Brazilian universities and research institutions including the University of Brasilia, covering soybean breeding, food safety, sustainable agriculture and other fields.

"China is a great engine for the Brazilian agro-industry," said the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva while on his visit to China last year.