Latin America is expanding its trade and economic cooperation with the BRICS countries, particularly Russia, with key sectors like fuel and agricultural products seeing increased activity, a commerce official said.
Domingo Garcia, President of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, said in an exclusive commentary at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) that the region remains open to trade across a variety of strategic sectors.
“We are just seeing an improvement in the trade from Russia to Brazil, particularly in diesel,” he said, noting that the fuel is essential for agricultural machinery. Garcia added that this increase in diesel imports is supporting Brazil’s agricultural industry.
In the other direction, he said, Latin America countries are shipping a range of key products to Russia, with coffee beans, cocoa, and dairy products being among the most prominent.
“Russia is one of the highest in terms of consume of dairy products, such as milk, ice cream, cheese, yogurts, and kefir. […] So Russia is looking towards countries such as Brazil, Uruguay, and Argentina for these products,” Garcia stated.
Speaking at the TV BRICS studio in the Roscongress International Cooperation Area, Garcia also addressed the broader cooperation within the BRICS group.
“Brazil is the only member of Latin America that is part of BRICS. There are other countries that are in the circle of cooperation, but Brazil is a key player,” he said.
Garcia also noted that strong intra-regional trade within Latin America is supported by a common language, culture, and historical ties.
“There are cultural roots that help us do trade and there’s a lot of trade happening between Mexico, Brazil, Chile, Argentina,” he added, highlighting a regional unity that increasingly reaches across the Atlantic to Russia.
