MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro warns Argentina may not deliver as much wheat as needed

“This is going to have an impact on wheat production in that country,” Bolsonaro explained.

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro Thursday said his country faced a food security threat as a consequence of the shortage of wheat, which could become scarce due to the effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Bolsonaro also pointed out that local production of wheat was not enough and imports were needed. Argentina is Brazil's main supplier, but there are concerns over Argentina's capabilities to keep on delivering because of a local problem with the price of diesel fuel, which affects output.

According to Bolsonaro, “Brazil is experiencing a possibility, an imminence of a food security war.” The head of state also said in his weekly live broadcast that wheat is the “most popular food that exists” in a nation where people consume every year 55 kilos of products made from this cereal. Brazil's annual production of 7 million tons is not enough to meet the country's needs.

”We need to import 5 million tons (per year) which, in a situation like the one we are living with the war in Ukraine, puts (Brazil) at risk of supply,” explained Celso Moretti, director of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Company (Embrapa), who joined the Brazilian president during the broadcast.

According to Moretti, Brazil buys most of the wheat it needs from Argentina, a situation that - according to Bolsonaro - may be affected by high diesel prices in the neighboring country.

“Argentina has a problem. For example: until a few weeks ago diesel was quite cheap, we used to tank up in Argentina, but because it was cheap, the federal government ended up interfering in prices. So, this is going to have an impact on wheat production in that country,” Bolsonaro explained.

The Brazilian president had already addressed this issue earlier this week during an event at the Planalto Palace, where he insisted he was working to make Brazil self-sufficient.

Wheat crops in Brazil are located in the south of the country, but thanks to technologies developed by Embrapa, they are being expanded to other regions, such as the center-west and the north of the country.