Brasília, January 23, 2004 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - The trip that President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will make to India next week, more than an official visit, reflects an agenda of trade signals. This is the opinion of the president of the Brazilian Trade Promotion Agency (APEX), Juan Quiroz, who will accompany the Brazilian mission, together with the Minister of Development, Industry, and Foreign Trade, Luiz Fernando Furlan. "We want to be the portal for Indian entrepreneurs, and we know that they are interested in getting to know the Brazilian market better. This is a strategic moment for Brazil to participate in and conquer emerging markets, such as India and others already visited by President Lula in Africa and the Middle East," Quiroz affirms.

The Indian market nowadays contains over 1 billion people, and Brazil's expectation is to reach around 35 million consumers. Bilateral trade is still regarded as small in terms its potential and the similarity between the two countries, and, for this reason, the Brazilian government intends to draw the two closer together in the economic and cultural spheres. (DAS).