New Delhi [India], February 20 (ANI): Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Friday held talks with the Brazilian Agriculture Minister and his delegation, focusing on strengthening bilateral cooperation in agriculture.

The discussions covered collaboration in natural and organic farming, pulses and oilseeds missions, integrated farming, and the establishment of a Brazil-supported Centre of Excellence in India, with a potential Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in the works.

Speaking to the reporters, Chouhan said, 'Very useful discussions have been held here with the Brazilian Agriculture Minister and his team in the field of agriculture. Our ICAR and Brazilian counterparts will cooperate in many areas; discussions are underway to sign an MoU with this. Brazil has a lot of interest in natural farming and organic farming... We are discussing and negotiating on this... Discussions are ongoing on many issues.'

He added, 'In India, we are working rapidly on the pulses, oilseeds mission and integrated farming. Brazil has agreed to set up a Centre of Excellence here. We have discussed this too..A large delegation has come here; this will definitely strengthen the relations between the two countries.'

Earlier, the Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Farming of Brazil, Luiz Paulo Teixeira Ferreira, paid a technical visit to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Farming Systems Research, Modipuram, accompanied by a high-level delegation, to learn from India's experience in nature-based agricultural solutions.

According to the Indian Council of Agriculture Research, the delegation was warmly received by A K Nayak, Deputy Director General (Natural Resource Management), A Velmurugan, Assistant Director General (Soil & Water Management), ICAR, and Sunil Kumar, Director, ICAR-IIFSR. Detailed discussions were held on regenerative agriculture and nature-based practices aimed at strengthening sustainable family farming systems.

During the visit, the Minister and his team toured the Model Natural Farm developed under the National Mission on Natural Farming (NMNF). Scientists briefed the delegation on various bio-inputs used in natural farming and demonstrated their preparation and field application. The model showcased low-cost, eco-friendly technologies designed specifically for small and marginal farmers.

According to the ICAR, Teixeira also interacted with progressive local natural farmers and discussed strategies to enhance the profitability of natural farming. He showed particular interest in the quality, nutritional value, and characteristics of the produce and personally sampled farm products to assess their attributes. At the conclusion of the visit, the Minister expressed strong interest in fostering technical collaboration with Indian scientists and farmers to advance regenerative agriculture in Brazil.

Meanwhile, the Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's visit to India has marked a renewed push to deepen trade, investment, and strategic cooperation between the two major Global South economies.

The initiative comes amid robust growth in bilateral trade. Commerce between the two countries reached 15.2 billion US dollars in 2025, a 25 per cent increase from the previous year.

Both sides now aim to raise the figure to 20 billion dollars by 2026 and significantly expand the product basket, as cited by Brasil 247 news outlet.

Brazilian exports to India climbed to 6.9 billion dollars in 2025, the highest in two decades, led by sugar, crude oil, vegetable oils, cotton, and iron ore. The export promotion agency ApexBrasil has identified 378 new opportunities across minerals, machinery, food products, health technology, and renewable energy sectors.

Agricultural items such as ethanol derivatives and cotton, along with industrial equipment for agribusiness and power generation, are key focus areas. Brazilian imports from India stood at 8.4 billion dollars in 2025. (ANI)