June 26, 2020

Soy exporters in Brazil cannot guarantee shipments to China free from COVID-19

The association representing local grain traders, ANEC said Brazilian grain exporters should not declare shipments to China free from COVID-19 as that needs more testing, Reuters reported.

Marcos Amorim, director of ANEC's contract committee said this response to China's request will stress that there is no evidence that COVID-19 can be transmitted through food.

China had recently requested all food exporters to the country to declare their shipments free from COVID-19.

United States-based Cargill and China-based Cofco are some of ANEC's members, as well as many global major agricultural commodity traders.

China is the biggest soybean purchaser in the world and is projected to buy 94 million tonnes of soybean from Brazil and the US in the 2019 / 2020 crop year.

Amorim said ANEC is preparing a letter for its associated to respond identically. ANEC hopes that Brazilian grains exporters will not sign the declaration to confirm their shipments are free from COVID-19, as well as the declaration that the companies will follow China's laws.

-      Reuters