Sao Paulo, Brazil, 27 April – Brazil and China have signed three research and technology agreements for agriculture since 2003 and should increase that cooperation, the supervisor for cooperation at Brazilian farming institute, Embrapa, Bonifácio Magalhães told Macauhub.

“We increased relations with Chins in 2003 when we signed the memorandum with the Chinese Academy for Agricultural Sciences and that cooperation is moving along,” said Magalhães, who was in Beijing last week, with a mission from the Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry.

That mission is preparing a Chinese-Brazilian meeting for technological and scientific cooperation, scheduled to be held in Brazil in December.

One of the agreements recently signed by Embrapa, a body linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, is the partnership with the Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) for exchange of genetic material, biotechnology training, mainly in growing cotton, fruit, vegetables, wheat and soy.

Another agreement was made official with the Chinese National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI), which last year became Embrapa’s partner. Also in 2006, the Brazilian institution signed a memorandum with Longyan University for cooperation in the area of edible and medicinal mushrooms.

Magalhães told Macauhub that the next steps in the partnership with China would be an agreement in the area of genetically-modified cotton, which would be signed with Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

“China still has a lot to offer us, such as genetic material, and we have a lot to offer, such as in the area of precision agricultures,” said Magalhães.

“We are going to make adjustments and keep up with what has already been arranged. As we fulfil agreements that we have already made, new opportunities will emerge and we will move ahead. Embrapa’s aim is to increasingly strengthen cooperation with China,” he said. (macauhub)