Brazil President Visits India With Largest Business Delegation To Boost Trade

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva arrived in India on a high-profile state visit this week, bringing with him the largest-ever Brazilian business delegation to travel abroad, underscoring trade and economic cooperation as the central pillar of bilateral engagement. 

Lula is accompanied by more than 260 Brazilian companies, around 14 cabinet ministers and several top chief executives, as India and Brazil seek to expand commercial ties amid shifting global trade dynamics triggered by tariff actions taken by the United States under President Donald Trump.

The visit coincides with Lula's participation in the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, where he addressed issues related to technology, digital public infrastructure and the role of artificial intelligence in inclusive growth. The Brazilian leader attended the summit on Wednesday, marking technology cooperation as a new and growing dimension of India-Brazil relations.

Lula is scheduled to hold wide-ranging bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 21. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), the two leaders will review the "entire gamut of bilateral relations," with discussions expected to cover trade, investment, energy, defence cooperation, digital technologies and people-to-people links.

"The leaders will also exchange views on regional and global issues of mutual interest, including cooperation in multilateral fora, reformed multilateralism, global governance and issues concerning the Global South," the MEA said in a statement.

Trade and economic engagement has emerged as the driving force of Lula's visit, particularly in the context of protectionist measures adopted by Washington in recent years. Brazilian officials see India as a key partner for diversifying markets and strengthening South-South cooperation. 

The record-sized delegation reflects Brasilia's push to deepen commercial ties with New Delhi at a time when global supply chains are being reconfigured.

India and Brazil share a long-standing diplomatic relationship, having established formal ties in 1948. The partnership was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2006, rooted in shared democratic values and a common vision of inclusive development. 

Over the years, both countries have worked closely in plurilateral and multilateral forums such as BRICS, IBSA, the G20, the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and UNESCO.

Lula last visited India in September 2023 for the G20 Leaders' Summit hosted at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Since then, engagement between the two sides has intensified, with frequent high-level interactions reflecting growing strategic convergence.

Prime Minister Modi's state visit to Brasilia in July 2025 marked a major milestone, being the first such visit by an Indian prime minister in over five decades. During that visit, both leaders agreed to establish a trade ministers' level review mechanism and set an ambitious bilateral trade target of USD 20 billion to be achieved by 2030.

Bilateral trade has already shown strong momentum. In the calendar year 2025, India-Brazil trade reached $15.21 billion, registering an increase of over 25 percent. Indian exports stood at $8.35 billion, while imports from Brazil amounted to $6.85 billion. Indian investments in Brazil are estimated to exceed $15 billion, spanning sectors such as energy, pharmaceuticals, information technology and manufacturing.

Energy cooperation is expected to feature prominently during the talks. Brazil is India's largest upstream investment destination in the Americas and has emerged as a crucial partner in biofuels, including as a co-founder of the Global Biofuel Alliance launched during the 2023 G20 Summit. Brazil has also been a significant supplier of crude oil to India, accounting for a notable share of bilateral trade.

Defence and security ties have also expanded steadily. A defence cooperation agreement signed in 2003 laid the foundation for institutional engagement, including a Joint Defence Committee that has met regularly. 

Recent years have seen increased exchanges between the armed forces, joint training initiatives and cooperation in defence manufacturing and maintenance, including collaboration on Scorpene-class submarines.

Digital technology and innovation form another fast-growing pillar of the relationship. An IndiaStack cooperation agreement signed during PM Modi's 2025 visit to Brazil paved the way for collaboration on digital public infrastructure, payment systems such as UPI and Brazil's PIX, artificial intelligence training programmes and semiconductor partnerships.

Beyond government-to-government ties, parliamentary, judicial and people-to-people exchanges have added depth to the partnership. While the Indian diaspora in Brazil remains small, estimated at around 4,000, it plays an active role in business, science and technology sectors.

As President Lula's visit unfolds, both sides appear keen to translate political goodwill into concrete economic outcomes. With global trade uncertainties persisting, New Delhi and Brasilia see closer cooperation as not only mutually beneficial but also essential for strengthening the voice of the Global South in shaping a more balanced and inclusive international order.