Winds of change in BRIC nations could modify U.S. trade, panelists say

摘要

"We used to eat rice and beans for lunch; now we eat meat," Seneri Kernbeis Paludo, executive director of agriculture for Brazil's state of Mato Grosso, told a standing room only session at the USDA's Agricultural Outlook Forum, last week.His comments underscore the emergence of Brazil's economy and its position as a better trading partner for U.S. food and agriculture companies.More than 250 food and industry executives, regulatory officials and other stakeholders packed into a meeting room at the Crystal City Marriott, in Arlington, Va., Feb. 23, to hear a panel of four experts explore the role of Brazil, Russia, India and China, the so-called BRIC nations, and how their economies and agricultural practices might prompt new trade barriers or opportunities for the U.S.