What are International Financial Markets?

What future role will Brazil play in international agricultural policymaking and in the markets?

• Given its dominant position in sugar cane, and rapid expansion in other crops such as cotton and corn, how much weight will Brazil wield in the international markets and in agricultural policymaking? Also, how will Brazil use its growing position?

• Answer:

  In addition to its dominant position in sugarcane, Brazil is the world's largest producer and exporter of coffee and orange juice, has the world's largest commercial cattle herd and is expected to surpass the US as world's #1 producer of soybeans in 2013 (more on Brazilian agricultural production: http://www.vision.org/visionmedia/article.aspx?id=60879).   [With drought having dramatically reduced US corn production in 2012, Brazil's record winter corn crop made an important contribution to the world's food supply http://www.businessinsider.com/brazils-corn-production-and-exports-2012-10?goback=.gmp_1985301.gde_1985301_member_175307331 -- a reminder of the importance of redundancy in agricultural production]    Today the heads of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (José Graziano da Silva-photo below), the International Coffee Organization (Robério Oliveira Silva) and the World Water Council (Benedito Braga) are Brazilians. Embrapa, the Brazilian federal agricultural research agency responsible for transforming Brazil from a net food importer in the 1960s to an "agricultural superpower" today, has offices in the US, Europe, South Korea and China, and programs in Africa and other Latin American countries.   Brazilian company JBS is the largest  animal protein processing company in the world, with more than 120,000 employees, and a Brazilian, Carlos Brito, is CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev, the world's largest brewer with nearly 25 per cent global market share.   Brazil is likely to continue to grow its agricultural production in the future, given that it is home to 53% of fresh water in South America (12% of world supply) and has one of the world's largest available land areas for agricultural expansion. With the world population expected to exceed 9 billion in 2050, Brazil has been called on to expand its production by 40% or more.   Looking outward, Brazil has assumed a leadership role in (1) international negotiations regarding biodiversity and sustainable development and (2) south south technical cooperation and knowledge transfer. It is also likely to continue to be a leader of international agricultural organizations and businesses and to push for open markets as Roberto suggested.