Agência Brasil

Brasília - The Ministers of Agriculture from the countries that belong to the Southern Livestock Council (CAS) are meeting today in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to discuss proposals for agro-industrial integration in the Southern Cone and world agricultural market prospects.

The Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Roberto Rodrigues, is participating in the meeting, together with representatives of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The meeting, which will last all day, will also permit debates on the regional beef and soybean market.

The CAS, formed by the Mercosur countries, together with Bolivia and Chile, was founded to encourage the creation of a trading company to handle the sale of the bloc's agricultural products, reduce competition among the bloc's members, and increase exports among countries of the region.

Translation: David Silberstein