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Brazil Offers Ethanol to the U.S. and Calls for End to Subsidies |
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Written by Stênio Ribeiro
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Wednesday, 28 September 2005 |
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During his visit to Washington this week, Brazil's Minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan, has met with various U.S. government authorities.
On Monday, September 26, he had talks with the U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman, and on Tuesday, September 27, with the secretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez, informing both of them that Brazil can supply its sugarcane-based ethanol fuel to the United States.
Furlan points out that the U.S. produces less than 60% of the 23 billion liters of ethanol fuel it consumes annually. At the moment, Brazil is exporting 400 million liters annually to the US and could export more, according to the Minister, pointing out that production in Brazil in on the rise.
Brazil-U.S. Ties
Speaking at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, the Brazilian Minister of Foreign Relations, Celso Amorim, pointed out that Brazil and the U.S. have a long historical relationship and that at the moment the Americans are Brazil's biggest commercial and investment partner.
Amorim went on to say that today Brazil seeks to diversify its exports by moving into the areas of education, environment and science and technology. He also said that Brazil considers the search for new trade partners of great importance, citing growing commerce with China and South Africa, as examples.
In his speech, Amorim cited the words of president George W. Bush, who said that the elimination of world poverty depends on more world trade, and added that Brazil wants to see an end to subsidies "because they are unfair, distorting world trade by making subsidized goods cheaper than they should be in the international marketplace."
Agência Brasil
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