8 January 2015: China and Brazil in African agriculture – news roundup

Posted on January 8, 2015 by - FAC blog

What happened to ProSavana?

The trilateral agricultural development project between Brazil, Japan and Mozambique has faced a number of setbacks since its inception. This article is a personal reflection by Timothy Wise regarding the stage at which he has found the project on his recent visit. He argues that the project does not appear to be dead, but it is certainly struggling.
(Food Tank)

China continues to be Brazil’s biggest importer of agricultural goods

 This short piece just asserts that for the second year running, China is Brazil’s biggest importer of agricultural goods after overtaking the EU. According to statistics published by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture on November 1st, 2014, imports are now worth $21.5 Billion. China is also the country’s biggest soybean importer as they make up $16.9 Billion of agricultural imports.
(Xinhua)

North African agribusiness conference hosted in Sao Paulo

A conference on “agribusiness and food security” is to be hosted in Sao Paulo on the 29th and 30th of January by the Instituto Brasil África (Brazil Africa Institute) and the Câmara de Comércio Árabe Brasileira (Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce). Over the two days, both sides will discuss the role of Brazilian producers in the North-African region, agricultural demands, international partnerships, investments in infrastructure, increases in productivity, export promotion, and alternative financing.
(Exportnews.com.br)

The Spectre of Global China

Ching Kwan Lee has just published a new article in the New Left Review looking at: “What, if any, is the peculiarity of Chinese capital in Africa? What are the consequences of China’s presence, and what prospects does it offer for African development?”
(New Left Review)

China’s Business in Portuguese Speaking Countries

This article looks at China’s increasing engagements in Portuguese speaking countries in Africa, as well as Brazil and Portugal over the course of 2014. The article glosses over the main business interests in those countries and key projects that already exist.
(Macau Hub)