Brasília, July 28, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - Today and tomorrow (28 and 29), the Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, will participate in the Mini-ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO), in Montreal, a preparatory phase for the WTÖ Ministerial Conference set for September 10-14 in Cancun, Mexico. At the meeting, ministers of member-nations of the WTO will discuss proposals for total liberalization of world trade in agricultural commodities. Rodrigues also has a meeting scheduled with his Canadian counterpart, Lyle Vanclief.

At the Mini-ministerial meeting, Rodrigues will reiterate Brazil's position in favor of reducing the subsidies that wealthy countries give for production and agricultural exports. He will also call for the elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers that make it more difficult for developing countries to place their agricultural products on the international market. For the Brazilian government, the search for a solution for these items is essential to the establishment of an agricultural trade agreement in the WTO.

Parallel to the Mini-ministerial meeting, the Minister has other commitments. Today, he will attend the meeting of the International Coalition of Producers for Fair and Balanced Agricultural Trade Rules in the context of the WTO, created by the Canadian Agricultural and Food Trade Alliance and the Cairns Group, made up of 17 agricultural countries. On Tuesday afternoon, at 3 P.M., he will meet with the Canadian Minister of Agriculture. At this bilateral encounter, they will discuss questions related to agricultural trade between the two countries. (DAS)