Brazil's President Lula Heads to India to Boost Trade and Cut Global Dependencies

The visit is part of Brazil's broader foreign policy recalibration, as it seeks to lessen economic reliance on traditional partners such as the United States and China while strengthening engagement with emerging economies like India, as reported by Brasil 247.

Officials at Brazil's presidential palace have described the upcoming visit as one of the largest overseas missions of the current administration.

Reflecting the scale of ambition, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) opened accreditation for up to 200 business leaders to accompany the delegation. By the end of the registration process, nearly 150 private-sector representatives had confirmed their participation, underlining strong corporate interest in the Indian market.

According to Brasil 247, Brazil-India ties have been steadily gaining momentum over recent months.

In October 2025, Brazilian Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, who also heads the development, industry, trade and services portfolio, visited India along with Defence Minister Jose Mucio Monteiro. During that visit, talks were held with Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on cooperation in defence and sovereignty-related areas. Discussions also covered the possible expansion of the Mercosur-India Preferential Trade Agreement, which has been in place since 2009.

Political engagement has intensified further this year. On January 23, President Lula and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a telephonic conversation, during which both leaders reiterated support for comprehensive United Nations reforms, including changes to the Security Council, an issue long championed by both countries.

Concrete steps are already being taken to support the growing partnership. Brazil has recently opened a new business office in India, one of only about 20 such offices it maintains globally. The move is intended to help diversify Brazilian exports, which are currently heavily concentrated, with crude oil accounting for nearly 30 per cent of shipments to India in 2025.

Trade data underscores India's rising importance to Brazil. India emerged as Brazil's tenth-largest export destination last year, with exports worth USD 6.9 billion, while ranking sixth among import sources at USD 8.4 billion. Although this resulted in a USD 1.5 billion trade deficit for Brazil, bilateral trade volumes recorded strong growth, with exports rising 30.2 per cent and imports increasing 21.9 per cent in 2025, as per Brazil 247.

Agriculture will also feature prominently during the visit. Brazil plans to offer technical cooperation in family farming, with a representative from Embrapa, the country's agricultural research agency, included in the delegation.

Preparations for the visit are being treated as a priority, with Brazil renting a 500-seat auditorium in India for two days to host meetings between President Lula and Indian business leaders. The objective is to highlight investment opportunities and encourage greater capital inflows into Brazil.

Beyond economics, the visit carries clear political weight. Brazilian officials see the India outreach as reinforcing President Lula's image as an influential global leader seeking to assert Brazil's interests in an increasingly competitive international environment.

- ANI