GM wheat from Argentina sparks clash between Brazil and green associations

Known as one of the “world’s granaries,” Brazil is among the biggest global exporters of agricultural products. However, while the country sells massive amounts of soybeans, corn, and sugar, there is a very different story when it comes to wheat.

In the last harvest, Brazil produced roughly 5.5 million tons of wheat, but domestic consumption topped 12.5 million tons. More than half of this total was imported from other countries, particularly Argentina, Uruguay, and the U.S., according to the Brazilian Wheat Industry Association (Abitrigo).

With Brazil’s low domestic production, wheat has become something of a bargaining chip in South American trade bloc Mercosur, with Argentina and Uruguay taking advantage of tax breaks to sell the cereal in exchange for Brazilian industrial products. Roughly 70 percent of the wheat supplying the Brazilian market comes from Argentina. 

This foreign dependence worries the Brazilian government, particularly with the devaluation of the Real, which puts pressure on...