The free trade agreement signed between Mercosur and the European Union (EU) should benefit Brazilian family farming, especially those producing coffee and fruit, said Brazil’s Minister of Agrarian Development and Family Farming Paulo Teixeira. He believes there is also potential for dairy products – especially cheeses from Minas Gerais state.

He was interviewed Tuesday (Jan. 20) on EBC’s Bom Dia, Ministro program.

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“Family farming will benefit greatly from this agreement,” said the minister, noting that coffee production in the country is predominantly carried out by family farmers. “They will now be able to sell their processed coffee without tariffs,” the minister pointed out.

He said the opening of new markets was ultimately stimulated by the imposition of tariffs by the US. “This opened up the European consumer market, which is a rich market. Europeans are wealthy and will be able to buy various family farming products,” he noted.

“In addition to coffee, there are fruits. Açaí, for instance, is booming worldwide. We also have mangoes, grapes, and melons. Family farmers will be able to sell their products in Europe without taxes. Family farming will boom,” the minister added.

Other products believed to boast great potential to conquer the European market are dairy products. “We will need to produce more dairy products for export. We have a large cheese market. This includes cheeses from Minas Gerais, which are famous in the domestic market and could also be sold to the international market.”

“We will have to buy French cheese, but we will be able to export Minas Gerais cheese to France. We have to think big in this new era of agreement between Mercosur and the European Union,” he said.

He noted that the Serra da Canastra region of Minas Gerais has cheeses that are sold as delicacies in Brazil, with great potential to be consumed by Europeans as well.

The minister stressed that federal government investments in family farming have broken records, which has also resulted in increased sales of small machinery to farmers.

“I am honored to say that what is driving the machinery industry in Brazil today are small machines for family farmers. Family farmers are selling more products because their income has improved in Brazilian society. With this improvement in income, the first investment that families make is in food,” Minister Teixeira argued.

The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), the minister went on to say, can help family farmers in their search for new markets, including with the assistance of agricultural attachés from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Agriculture.