
On April 19, Brazil’s president, Jair Bolsonaro, climbed onto a truck outside army headquarters in Brasília to fire up protesters who were calling for a shutdown of Congress and the Supreme Court. Soon after, according to Folha de S. Paulo, he learned that federal police were investigating allegations that one of his sons, Carlos, runs an online fake-news network that may have inspired the protest.

The volume of agricultural commodities originated, processed and traded in Brazil by Cargill Inc rose by 12% in 2019 as the U.S.-based firm makes the most from its presence in one of the world’s largest breadbaskets.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday withdrew the name of a family friend he had picked to run the federal police after a Supreme Court justice blocked an appointment that opponents said would allow him inappropriate influence over law enforcement.

Minerva SA, the largest beef exporter in South America, hopes to further boost foreign sales due to potentially scarce supplies in large producing nations like the United States, Chief Financial Officer Edison Ticle said.

Brazil plans to deploy its armed forces to fight deforestation and fires in the Amazon jungle, Vice President Hamilton Mourão said on Wednesday; in an effort to protect the world’s largest rainforest where destruction has surged since last year.

A Supreme Court judge authorized an investigation of allegations that Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro tried to interfere in the work of the country’s federal police force for political motives, the top court said on its website.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday named a family friend to head the federal police, days after his justice minister quit, and accused the president of meddling in law enforcement for political motives.

Brazilian soybeans imports to China during the month of March dropped 24.8%, over the same month last year. The data was released by the Chinese General Customs Administration last Sunday, April 26, and shows soy imports from Brazil reached 2.1 million tons in March, compared to 2.79 million tons in the same period last year.

“We're on another path, the path of prosperity, not in the path of despair”, said Brazilian economy minister Paulo Guedes when asked about Argentina's decision to partially abandon Mercosur. It was also an opportunity for president Jair Bolsonaro to openly express support for his the “super” minister, who seemed strongly weakened following the forced resignation of the other “super” minister Sergio Moro.

In the midst of the chaotic situation caused by the pandemic, the Argentine government announced the abandonment of Mercosur negotiations to prioritize the country’s domestic economy and the struggle against the virus. The rest of the bloc members must evaluate legal, institutional, and operational measures emerging from the decision.