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India and Brazil have shared a very close and multifaceted relationship which was elevated to Strategic Partnership in 2006. Both countries also enjoy an excellent cooperation in plurilateral fora such as BRICS, IBSA, G20, G-4, International Solar Alliance, Global Biofuel Alliance, Coalition for Disaster Resilience Infrastructure as well as in the larger multilateral bodies such as the UN, WTO, UNESCO and WIPO. The bilateral relationship is based on a common global vision, shared democratic values and a commitment to foster economic growth with social inclusion for the welfare of the people of both countries.
2. A Portuguese explorer, Pedro Alvares Cabral, landed on the East Coast of Brazil in 1500, two years after Vasco de Gama had landed in India. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Brazil and Goa, both outposts of the Portuguese imperialist empire, had bilateral exchanges that are reflected in food and dressing as well as local traditions.
3. Diplomatic relations were established in 1948, with both countries opening the embassies in the same year. India had opened the Embassy in Rio de Janeiro, the erstwhile capital of Brazil, and later moved to Brasilia in 1971. India has a Consulate General in Sao Paulo while Brazil has a Consulate General in Mumbai.
4. A remarkable, but relatively unknown facet of India-Brazil bilateral relations is that the bulk of Brazilian cattle are of Indian origin. More recently, the popularity of a Brazilian TV serial called ‘Caminho das Indias’ (Paths of India) has had a great impact in enhancing awareness of India in the minds of the Brazilian people.
5. President Bolsonaro paid a State Visit to India from 25-27 January 2020. He was the Chief Guest at India’s Republic Day Parade on 26 January 2020 and was accompanied by a high-level delegation which included eight Ministers, four Members of Parliament and business community. During the visit, an Action Plan to strengthen the Strategic Partnership between India and Brazil was adopted, which provided a roadmap to deepen ongoing engagements in a focused manner. Fifteen Agreements / MOUs in diverse sectors, including Investment, Assistance in Criminal Matters, Cyber Security, Oil & Gas, Bio-energy, S&T, Culture, Animal Husbandry, Health and Traditional Medicines were signed.
High-level visits
6. High-level exchange of visits on basis has provided a sustained impetus to the relationship. The following VVIP visits have taken place between the two countries, with far more frequently since 2006:
From India to Brazil |
From Brazil to India |
Dr. S. Radhakrishnan |
Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso |
Ms. Indira Gandhi |
Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula DA Silva |
Dr. Manmohan Singh |
Ms. Dilma Rousseff |
Ms. Pratibha Patil |
Mr. Jair Bolsonaro |
Shri Narendra Modi |
Mr. Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
Parliamentary Exchanges
7. Parliamentary exchanges are another important feature of bilateral relations. There are two India-Brazil Parliamentary Fora that are currently active in Brazil: (i) India-Brazil Parliamentary Friendship Group headed by Federal Deputy Vinicius Carvalho which includes the members of lower house of parliament (Diputados) and (ii) India-Brazil Friendship Front headed by Senator Nelson Trad which comprises Senators i.e. upper house members. In India, there was an India-LAC Parliamentary Friendship Group during 16th term of Lok Sabha.
8. A Parliamentary delegation led by Hon’ble Speaker Shri Om Birla, which included Shri Harivansh, Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, visited Brasilia from 3-6 June 2025 to attend the meeting BRICS Parliamentary Forum. Speaker had bilateral meetings with Hugo Motta, President of Chamber of Deputies and Senator Rodrigo Pacheco, President of Senate. Earlier, Shri Harivansh had led a 6-member Parliamentary delegation to participate in 10th G20 Parliamentary Speakers’ (P20) Summit in Brasilia from 6-9 November 2024. He had held meeting with Senator Pacheco, President of Senate.
9. A multi-party 7-member parliamentary delegation led by Dr Shashi Tharoor visited Brasilia on 1-2 June 2025 to brief Brazilian interlocuters on cross-border terrorism following Pahalgam terrorist attack. They met VP Geraldo José Rodrigues Alckmin Filho, Special Advisor to President Celso Amorim, Presidents of both Parliamentary Friendship Groups and Acting Foreign Minister.
Institutional Mechanisms
10. As Strategic Partners, India and Brazil have several Institutional mechanisms to coordinate various aspects of their bilateral relationship. This includes Joint Commission Meeting (JCM at Foreign Minister level), Strategic Dialogue (between NSAs), Foreign Office Consultations (FOC at Secretary level), Trade Monitoring Mechanism (TMM between Commerce Ministries), Economic and Financial Dialogue, Dialogue on Consular and Mobility Issues, Joint Defence Commission, Joint Committee on Science & Technology and India-Brazil Business Leaders’ Forum.
11. The 9th Joint Commission Meeting (JCM) was co-chaired by EAM, Dr. S. Jaishankar with his counterpart Ambassador Mauro Vieira on 27 August 2024 in New Delhi. The 2nd Foreign Office Consultations (FOC) between India and Brazil were held in Brasilia on 20 June 2023, co-chaired by Shri Saurabh Kumar, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs and Ambassador Eduardo Saboia, Secretary for Asia and the Pacific, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Federative Republic of Brazil. The 6th TMM meeting between India and Brazil was held on 4 October 2023 in Brasília.
Trade and Investment
12. India and Brazil continue to maintain a strong and dynamic trade relationship. In 2024-25, bilateral trade reached USD 12.20 billion, with Indian exports to Brazil amounting to USD 6.77 billion and imports from Brazil totaling USD 5.43 billion. Major Indian exports to Brazil includes processed Petroleum products (diesel), Agro-chemicals (insecticides, fungicides), Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Engineering products, Textured filament yarn, and Unwrought Aluminum. Brazilian exports to India included Crude oil, soya oil, Gold (non-monetary), raw sugar, cotton, gum, wood and turpentine oils, chemicals (carboxylic acids) and iron ore and concentrates.
13. Total Indian investment in Brazil is estimated at more than USD 6 billion. Brazilian investments in India are around USD 1 billion. Major Indian companies in Brazil are Glenmark, ZydusCadila, Sun Pharma, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, Pidilite Industries Limited, ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), BPRL, IFFCO, Bajaj, Tata Motors, Mahindra Tractors, Infosys, TCS, HCL and Wipro. Major Brazilian companies present in India are Polo (auto mobiles), Vale (mining), Stefanini (IT), Gerdau (Steel), WEG (Heavy Electrical motors/generators etc.), Compsis (Toll Road software system), Dedini (Ethanol production), Farmas Kunz (footwear), Perto (Fabrication of ATMs), Fanem (Hospital instrumentation).
Defence Cooperation
14. A defence cooperation agreement, signed in 2003, was ratified in 2006, which created a Joint Defence Committee (JDC) as institutional mechanism. Seven JDC meetings have taken place so far between the two sides.
15. There has been noteworthy high-level exchanges and visits in the field of defence. With a total of 14 exchanges at the level of Chiefs, last two years stand out with the Chief of the Air Staff, Indian Air Force visiting Brazil and Chiefs of the Brazilian Army, Navy and Air Force visiting India in quick succession. Since 2007, a total of 134 defence officers have been trained from both sides, 70 from India and 64 from Brazil, in short to long-term courses in addition to the exchanges for joint exercises, sailing regattas, etc.
16. A 2+2 Political-Military dialogue was initiated which has had its first meeting in 2024. A bilateral Strategic Dialogue mechanism was established in 2006 to cover regional and global issues of mutual concern which met five time between 2007 and 2015.
Space Cooperation
17. Both countries signed a framework agreement for peaceful use of outer space in 2004 as well an inter-institutional cooperation agreement between the space agencies. Both countries have been collaborating in data sharing and satellite tracking of Indian satellites. India launched Brazilian satellite Amazonia-1 in 2021, the first Earth Observation satellite to be completely designed, integrated, tested and operated by Brazil.
Oil & Gas and Bio-fuels
18. India’s engagement in the hydrocarbon sector in Brazil has intensified in the recent years. Brazil is India’s largest upstream investment destination in the Americas and the 3rd largest investment destination globally. Indian PSUs (OVL and BPRL) have invested USD 3.5 billion in Brazil’s upstream sector. They have participating interests in 4 projects in Brazil. BPRL and OVL have successfully partnered with Petrobras in the upstream sector, focusing on developing BM-SEAL-11 and BM-SEAL-4. A JWG on Oil & Gas was constituted under the MOU on Oil & Gas signed on 25 January 2020 during President Bolsonaro’s visit to India.
19. Brazil has become an important partner in India’s development of biofuels. India and Brazil signed an MOU on Bioenergy Cooperation during visit of President Bolsonaro to India in January 2020. Subsequently, JWG on Bioenergy Cooperation was constituted and its first meeting took place virtually on 6 August 2021. Brazil became the co-founder member of Global Biofuel Alliance (GBA), which was launched in September 2023 during G20 Summit in New Delhi. The ‘National Biofuel Policy’ of India and ‘Renova Bio’ Program of Brazil have common objectives of enhancing biofuel blending.
20. Brazil signed the International Solar Alliance (ISA) Agreement in 2019 and ratified the agreement in December 2022.
Cooperation in Agriculture, Food Processing and Animal Husbandry
21. Agriculture, food processing and animal husbandry are other key focus areas for bilateral cooperation. The cattle of Brazil and India share the same genetic heritage. Indian cattle like Gir and Kankrej, which were exported in early 20th century has been suitably modified to yield large quantities of milk. Both sides are working on training, capacity building and technology transfer.
An MOU between the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil was signed during the Global Food Regulators Summit in September 2024 in New Delhi. Main commodities of export from India to Brazil are Spices, Processed vegetables, Cocoa products, Guargam meal, tobacco, herbal products, etc. India is a major exporter of Agro-chemicals to Brazil (over USD 1 billion export of Agro-chemicals to Brazil in 2023-24). India’s main agricultural imports from Brazil are Sugar (USD 1.9 billion), Vegetable oils (~USD 1 billion), sesame seeds, alcoholic beverages, pulses and cotton.
Health and Traditional Medicine
22. An MOU for cooperation in health was signed in January 2020. The first meeting of the Joint Working Group on Health held in March 2022 wherein the two sides explored areas of mutual interest and potential collaboration such as health surveillance, technology transfer and joint research. Ayurveda and Yoga are both included as alternative therapies in the Policy of Integrative and Complimentary Practices (PNPIC) of Brazilian Health Ministry. The Brazilian Association of Ayurveda (ABRA) is a non-profit association with offices in 9 states of Brazil and members all over Brazil. An MOU on cooperation in the field of Traditional Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy was signed in January 2020. The first JWG meeting under the MOU was held in Brasilia on 7 November 2022.
Cooperation in Digital Technology
23. A delegation from Brazil participated in the Global Technology Summit held on 10-12 April 2025 at New Delhi. Subsequently, a delegation headed by Director, Brazilian Ministry of Science & Technology visited India from 5-7 May 2025. The delegation held meetings with NITI Aayog, C-DAC and ISPIRT, a think tank. The delegation was highly interested in collaborating in the field of data protection and management architecture, 5G/6G Network, Artificial Intelligence, Supercomputing and Quantum technology.
Technical Cooperation & Scholarships
24. Brazil is covered under the Scholarship scheme of Indian Council of Cultural relations (ICCR) with two slots annually. Brazil is also covered under the AYUSH Scholarship Scheme. Around 107 Brazilians have availed of the ITEC program for capacity building in a variety of programs including communications, management and defence. Eleven Brazilian diplomats underwent training at the Sushma Swaraj Institute of Foreign Service, New Delhi for the Professional Course for Foreign Diplomats (PCFD) and three Brazilian diplomats for Disarmament and Internal Security Fellowship program. Three Brazilian diplomats also attended Global South Young Diplomats Forum in New Delhi.
Cultural Relations
25. In Brazil, there is a lot of interest in Indian culture, religion, performing arts and philosophy. Ramakrishna Mission, ISKCON, Satya Sai Baba, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Bhakti Vedanta Foundation and other spiritual gurus and organizations have chapters in Brazil. Folkloric traditions and celebrations from India relate a lot to the joyful and colourful festivities in Brazil. Indian philosophy, spirituality and religion were the first forms of Indian culture to reach Brazil. The first classical Indian art form to come to Brazil was Bharatanatyam, followed by Odissi, Kathak and Kuchipudi. During PM Modi’s visit to Rio de Janeiro in 2024, Brazilian nationals showcased a captivating performance of the Ramayana and recited Vedic mantras.
26. India’s first cultural centre in Latin America was opened in Sao Paulo in May 2011. ICCR has deputed a Teacher of Indian Culture at the Cultural centre in CGI Sao Paulo and has also provided local teachers of yoga and dance to the Embassy in Brasilia and Consulate in Sao Paulo. A Cultural Exchange Program (CEP) for the years 2020-2024 was signed during the Visit of President Bolsonaro in January 2020.
27. Brazil has a strong community of Yoga and Ayurveda practitioners. There are numerous organizations teaching Yoga all over Brazil. Regular Yoga classes are being organised at the Embassy in Brazil since September 2017. Also in July 2024, Yoga was incorporated into the public schools curriculum in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul. All editions of International Day of Yoga have been celebrated with great enthusiasm in various parts of Brazil.
29. On 25 January 2020, the Government of India conferred Padma Shri to Prof Lia Diskin & Ms. Gloria Arieira, for their contribution in the fields of social work, and literature & education respectively. Globo Television, Brazil’s leading media group produced and aired a news special in 2019 titled “The Journey of Life: Ganges River”. The program focuses on places that have played an important role on the development of human civilization. Prof. Dilip Loundo was awarded the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards in 2023 for his contribution to promotion of Indian philosophy and traditions. In May 2025, Jonas Masetti, a Brazilian acharya and founder of Vishva Vidya Gurukulam, received the Padma Shri award from President Droupadi Murmu.
30. Indian cinema is also popular among the Brazilian people. Brazilian Post issued a commemorative stamp in May 2014 on “100 years of Indian Cinema”. Indian Film weeks organized by the Embassy and Consulate have received a good response. India participated as the ‘Focus Country’ in the 48th São Paulo International Film Festival, held from 17-30 October 2024. The festival was marked by a special focus on Indian cinema and showcased a range of contemporary Indian films, highlighting both new directors and established filmmakers.
Indian Community in Brazil
31. The Indian community in Brazil is estimated to be around 4,000 people, with majority of them living in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus. The community comprises primarily of professionals and businessmen, with some scientists/researchers also working in the fields of space, agriculture, physics and biotechnology. There is an Indian Association in Sao Paulo, which organizes events to celebrate national days and community festivals.
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June 2025
