Brazil signed on Wednesday, 12, a memorandum of understanding for technical cooperation in agriculture with the government of Venezuela. The announcement opens a new chapter of the relationship between President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT) and the dictator of the neighboring country, Nicolás Maduro, who is marked by approach episodes and others of removal.
As showed the Estadãoone day after the signing of the agreement, Maduro announced the delivery of about 180,000 hectares of land to the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MRE) states that the initiative of Chavista has nothing to do with the memorandum of understanding.
The proximity between Lula and the Venezuelan regime has been criticized by the petista’s political opponents over the last few years. The connection became politically more costly in this third term, with opinion polls indicating the unpopularity of Maduro and a rejection of the petista’s support to the Chavista dictatorship.
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In May 2023, at the beginning of Lula’s term, Maduro was received at the Planalto Palace. The president defended Chavista’s rehabilitation and said he was the target of “narratives” licened by opponents.
A month later, in June, Lula caused controversy by claiming that Venezuela “has more elections than Brazil” and that the concept of democracy is “relative”.
The relationship between the two, however, shuddered last year, when Maduro won the presidential election under suspicion of fraud and persecution of opponents. Part of the international community recognized the victory of Edmundo González, through electoral minutes that were never released by the Venezuelan regime.
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Unlike PT and MST, Lula even stated that the electoral process in the neighboring country was not correct and did not recognize the results of the election. However, he ruled out to break relations with Maduro and criticized economic sanctions against the Bolivarian regime led by the United States.
The height of the tension was when Maduro stated, without evidence, that there is no audit in the Brazilian elections. The Chavista statement made the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) issuing a note stating that the Brazilian ballot box is “totally auditable”.
Despite the clash, in January this year there was a new approach. Even with criticism of the Venezuelan electoral system, Lula decided to send the Brazilian Ambassador in Venezuela, Glivânia Maria de Oliveira, for the dictator’s inauguration.
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As showed the Estadãoafter the inauguration of Maduro, the Lula government began to maintain some contacts with the regime, while carefully observing the measures adopted by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, in relation to Venezuela
See what the memorandum of understanding signed between Brazil and Venezuela says
In the Official Gazette (DOU) this Wednesday, 12, a memorandum of understanding was published-a legal instrument that records international agreements-establishing technical cooperation between Itamaraty and three Venezuelan ministries who work in productive agriculture, food and with social communities and movements.
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According to the memorandum of understanding, the cooperation between Brazil and Venezuela includes the following initiatives made by the two countries:
- Development of family, urban, periurban and communal production;
- Monitoring with agricultural purposes;
- Surveillance, prevention, containment, control and eradication of agricultural pests and animal illnesses (carambola fly, foot -and -mouth disease, among others);
- creation of a binational program for the sustainable development of
- Amazonian ordinary border;
- Primary production in strategic sectors (corn, cassava, coffee, sugar cane, citrus, bananas and others);
- genetic improvement of buffalo, cattle, sheep and goats;
- soy production;
- production of high strategic seeds;
- food reserve system
The lands were expropriated during the government of Hugo Chávez, its predecessor, in the 2000s. Maduro stated that they will be used to cultivate food intended for consumption in Venezuela, northern Brazil and for export.
In a note sent on Saturday, 15, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs denied the relationship between the delivery of land made by Maduro and the memorandum of understanding. Itamaraty also said that the memorandum does not legally support the implementation of bilateral cooperation projects and that they are not yet underway.
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“The memorandum of understanding between Brazil and Venezuela, published in the Federal Official Gazette on 12/03/2025, represents the intention of the two governments to explore exchanges in the areas of agriculture, livestock, sovereignty and food and nutritional security. This memorandum does not underlie the implementation of bilateral cooperation projects, ”said MRE.
