Southeast Asia Information Port News (www.dnyxxg.com) – Vietnam's first shipment of tilapia to Brazil is about to arrive at the Port of Santos. This successful export is not only a substantial breakthrough in bilateral trade between Vietnam and Brazil, but also a significant manifestation of the deepening economic and trade cooperation between the two countries following the elevation of their relationship to a strategic partnership and Brazil's formal recognition of Vietnam's market economy status.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Brazil, Bui Van Nghia, stated in an interview with the Vietnam News Agency that the first container of tilapia, weighing 24 tons, departed from Ho Chi Minh City Port on November 6th, imported by the global meat processing giant, JBS Group of Brazil. Ambassador Bui Van Nghia pointed out that this shipment is a concrete result of the active cooperation between Vietnamese and Brazilian enterprises in expanding markets, and further demonstrates the quality and reputation of Vietnamese agricultural and aquatic products in the Brazilian and Latin American markets.
This shipment of tilapia is part of JBS Group's first purchase order from Vietnam, totaling 32 containers and approximately 700 tons of product. The goods will be distributed through JBS's supermarket system, HORECA (hotel/restaurant/institutional) channels, and product display centers in Brazil, and are expected to arrive at the Port of Santos on December 17.
JBS Group, a leading global beef and chicken producer, employs 280,000 people and operates 150 factories in multiple countries. Currently, the group is investing in and constructing two beef processing plants in Vietnam, with a total investment of US$150 million.
Ambassador Bui Van Nghia emphasized that this export is a concrete action to implement the consensus reached between Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and Brazilian President Lula da Silva during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro in July 2025. Both sides have pledged to mutually open their agricultural markets—Vietnam will open its market to Brazilian beef, while Brazil will grant access to Vietnamese tilapia, basa fish, and catfish.
Ambassador Bui Van Nghia stated that the Vietnamese Embassy in Brazil will continue to actively support cooperation between enterprises and localities of both countries, strengthen promotion and marketing, facilitate connections, and solve problems to help more high-quality Vietnamese products penetrate the Brazilian and South American markets.
Massio Rodriguez, Executive Director of Market Development at JBS Group, pointed out that this cooperation reflects the increasingly close partnership between JBS and Vietnam. Both sides are continuously strengthening their strategic cooperation through various initiatives, including investing in and building processing plants in Vietnam, creating jobs, and expanding imports of Vietnamese products.
Currently, Vietnam and Brazil are jointly promoting negotiations on a free trade agreement between Vietnam and Mercosur. With Brazil assuming the Mercosur chairmanship in 2025, both sides are also actively promoting exchanges among enterprises, industry associations, and relevant ministries to create a more favorable institutional environment for the diversification, balance, and sustainable development of bilateral trade. (End)
