President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) will disembark in New Delhi (India), in the second week of February 2026, for what members of the government classify as the biggest market-opening mission of the PT administration in Asia.
India is treated internally as a “market dream” due to its business potential on several fronts — fruits, legumes, cotton, poultry and technology — and the size of domestic consumption.
The trip will be the highlight of a process of rapprochement that began during , in July this year, when he and Lula discussed .
Since then, Palácio do Planalto has worked to reposition India as a strategic partner in Asia and diversify the destination of Brazilian exports.
The PT member, who has already received Modi in Brasília, decided to personally take over the coordination and wants to make this trip the last major economic delivery before the electoral period, which explains the choice of dates during the long Carnival holiday.
The itinerary for the trip to India is being planned in conjunction with a broader business mission, part of a strategy by ApexBrasil (Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency) to take Brazilian businesspeople to the two Asian destinations in the same period.
The topic of fertilizers should be highlighted on the agenda. India is one of the largest producers in the world and Brazil faces a vulnerability considered critical: the national soil is poor in nutrients, and the country only produces around 30% of what it consumes.
This external dependence on price and supply.
The government’s assessment is that an arrangement with New Delhi can reduce this risk and guarantee predictability of agricultural inputs, strengthening both Brazilian production and exports.
Diagnosis
Brazilian negotiators assess that India has extremely rich potential, but that the internal structure and lack of coordination between producers and government make commercial predictability difficult.
The Indian economy operates with a strong local production base, which is fragmented and highly dependent on the weather.
In the case of beans, for example, when production covers domestic consumption, imports cease. However, when there is a crop failure, the country rushes to the international market and accepts paying more to replace stocks.
Brazil is seen as a fast and reliable supplier, with a track record of deliveries, but it is not always able to meet demand in the required time and volume.
Apex’s performance
In recent years, Apex has tried to expand Brazil’s presence in India, with fairs and business rounds.
The response, however, was limited: low participation by Indian companies and difficulty in signing contracts led to the reduction of these actions — from two annual missions to just one.
The expectation now is that the presidential presence will reopen doors and give political scale to the negotiations, in a coordinated effort between Itamaraty, the Mdic (Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services) and Apex.
The trade flow between Brazil and India is around US$12 billion, considered modest for the size of the two economies, but the two governments have set the goal of increasing this volume to US$20 billion by 2030.
According to Apex, the objective of the mission is also to “change the market logic” with India and South Korea — promoting a more active and balanced commercial relationship beyond the current pattern of one-off exports.
Alckmin’s mission that opened the way
The vice-president and Minister of Development, Geraldo Alckmin (PSB), with representatives from various ministries — Agriculture, Mines and Energy, Defense, Science and Technology, Health — and entities such as CNI (National Confederation of Industry), FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry) and ApexBrasil.
The agenda included meetings with Indian ministers, business rounds and the launch of the Brazil–India Business Leaders Forum, created to bring the private sector of the two countries closer together and institutionalize trade dialogue.
The movement is part of the new stage of the Brazil–India Strategic Partnership, signed in 2006 and reinforced after Modi’s visit in 2025.
Data from the government itself shows that, between January and May 2025, Brazilian exports to India grew 14.8%, while Indian imports to Brazil rose 31.8% — a sign that the trade relationship has gained traction, but is still far from the expected potential.
Lula’s trip, seen internally as the political consolidation of this rapprochement, should mark the beginning of a new phase of economic cooperation between the two countries, focusing on fertilizers, agribusiness, technology and clean energy.
