Event Detail

1st Edition Brazil-Canada Agriculture Forum

The Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Brazil-Canada (CCBC) and the support from Global Affairs Canada through the Embassy of Canada in Brasilia and the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply is pleased to announce the 1st Brazil-Canada Agriculture Forum, that will take place virtually from May 18th, 2021 until June 2nd, 2021.

Agriculture is a key driver of both Brazilian and Canadian economies, and essential for the post-Covid-19 pandemic recovery. Both countries are an international reference for the sector, attracting constant investment and developing innovative solutions in a variety of areas such as crops, livestock production, fair trade, and sustainable practice. Nonetheless, there are endless opportunities for business, investment, collaboration, and best-practices sharing.

Organized in four sessions, the event will discuss Brazil-Canada Relations in Agriculture from a government perspective, Bilateral Trade Opportunities and Future Trends, the ecosystem for Brazilian and Canadian Ag-Techs, and Sustainable Agriculture and Biodiversity.

This is a must-attend event for everyone interested in understanding the current trends and opportunities of the Brazilian and Canadian Agriculture Sectors.

Tuesday, May 18th

SESSION 1 | BRAZIL-CANADA RELATIONS IN AGRICULTURE

Time is EST - Toronto time

2:00 PM | Opening Remarks

Daniel Ricica, Co-Chair of the Board of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) & Partner at KPMG Canada

Ronaldo Ramos, President and Chair of the Board at Camara de Comercio Brazil-Canada (CCBC)

2:10 PM | Keynote Speaker: Opportunities in the Brazilian Agriculture Sector

Introduced by Ambassador Pedro Borio, Ambassador of Brazil to Canada

The Honourable Tereza Cristina, Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Live Stock and Supply

2:20 PM | Keynote Speaker: Opportunities in the Canadian Agriculture Sector

Introduced by Bonny Berger, Commercial & Economic Counsellor and Head of Commercial Section at the Embassy of Canada in Brasilia

Luc Rivard, Acting Director-General, Market Access Secretariat, International Affairs Branch, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

2:30 PM | Brazil-Canada Bilateral Relations in Agriculture and Market Access

Bonny Berger, Commercial and Economic Counsellor and Head of Commercial Section at the Embassy of Canada in Brasilia

Paulo Araujo, Agriculture Attache at the Embassy of Brazil in Ottawa

3:10 PM | Investment Success Stories in Agriculture

Andre Dias, Regional Leader LATAM at Nutrien

Wesley Batista Filho, President Americas at JBS Group

3:30 PM | Q & A

3:55 PM | Closing Remarks

Carolina Albernaz, Chief Executive Officer at BCCC

Paulo de Castro Reis, Chief Officer for Institutional Relations and Business Affairs at CCBC

Tuesday, May 25th

SESSION 2 - BRAZIL-CANADA TRADE IN THE AGRI-SECTOR

Time is EST - Toronto time

1:30 PM | Opening Remarks

Peter Hawkins, Co-Chair of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce and Managing Director at MELLOHAWK Logistics

1:35 PM | Keynote Speech: Global Challenges for Bilateral Trade

Marcos Jank, Senior Professor of Global Agribusiness at INSPER

2:00 PM | Trends and Opportunities for Brazil-Canada Trade in Agriculture

Ligia Dutra, Head International Relations at CNA - Brazilian Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock

Gustavo Zentner, President, and CEO at InterPOC – Global Trade and Investment

2:20 PM | Market Study: Untapped Opportunities & Future Trends

Paulo de Castro Reis, Chief Officer of Institutional Relations & Business Affairs at CCBC

2:40 PM | Niche Opportunities Success Stories: Lessons Learned

Moderator: Carolina Albernaz, CEO at Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce

Marcelo Correa, CEO at Marcelo Correa Consulting

Flavio Ferreira, CEO at BR4 Trade Corporation

Rob O'Sullivan, Vice President of Sales for the Americas at Clearwater Seafoods LP

Sydney Bratt, General Manager Gourmand Alimentos

3:30 PM | How to Navigate Logistics Roadblocks and Manage Risks

Moderator: Arnon Melo, President at MELLOHAWK Logistics

John Kirkup, Sales Marketing Manager at DN+ Logistica Internacional

Bruce Rodgers, Executive Director at CIFFA

Shannon Blanchard, Cargo Development Manager at Port Saint John

4:20 PM | Closing Remarks

Introduced by Peter Hawkins, Managing Director at MELLOHAWK Logistics and Co-Chair of the BCCC

The Honourable Margaret Johnson, Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture, and Fisheries of New Brunswick

Wednesday, May 26th

SESSION 3 | AGRITECH: TRENDS & OPPORTUNITIES

Time: EST - Toronto Time

1:45 PM | Opening Remarks

Carolina Albernaz, CEO at BCCC

Paulo de Castro Reis, Chief Officer of Institutional Relations & Business Affairs at CCBC

1:50 PM | The Role of Technology for the Future of Agriculture

Giovana Araujo, Partner, Agribusiness Market at KPMG Brasil

2:10 PM | MOU for Cooperation: Embrapa x Agriculture & Agri-food Canada

Dr. Alexandre Varella, Coordinator of the Virtual Laboratory in Overseas (Labex-USA) at Embrapa

2:20 PM | Funding Mechanisms for Brazilian-Canadian SME's Collaboration

Moderator: Marie-Helene Beland, Vice Consul and Trade Commissioner IST at the Consulate of Canada in Sao Paulo

Ronda Gosselin, Industrial Technology Advisor IRAP at NRC-National Research Council

Denise Neddermeyer, EMBRAPII

Luciana Hashiba, FAPESP

2:50 PM | Overview of the Brazilian Ecosystem for Agtechs

Moderator: Marco Ripolli, Founder of Bionergy Consulting Co.

Otavio Celidono, Executive Director at Agrihub

Sergio Pascholati, Board Member at ESALQTec

Ariadne Caballero, Partner at SPVentures

Karen Schuett, CEO and CO-Founder at LWR

4:00 PM | Overview of the Opportunities for Agtechs in Quebec

Sylvain Ethier, Founder at Fabrique A

Olivier Demers-Dubé, Director at Zone Agtech

4:30 PM | Closing Remarks

Luiz Felipe Di Sessa, Partner at Cescon Barrieu

Wednesday, June 2nd

SESSION 4 | SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN BRAZIL

Time is in EST - Toronto Time

2:00 PM | Opening Remarks | Sustainable Agriculture & Biodiversity: The Big Picture

Dulce Meldau Benke, Sustainable Director at Proactiva

2:15 PM | Brazilian Investment Program in Sustainable Agriculture

Joao Adrien, Special advisor on Socio-Environmental Issues at the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply

2:30 PM | Global Challenges for Sustainable Agriculture

Moderator: Andrea Gardella, Principal Economist at Export Development Canada

Juliano Assuncao, Director at Climate Policy Initiative

Andre Guimaraes, Executive Director at IPAN, Instituto de Pesquisa Ambiental da Amazonia

Ignacio Gavilan, Director Sustainability at Consumer Goods Forum

3:15 PM | Agriculture & Biodiversity: Success Stories

Moderator: Carina Pimenta, Executive Director at Conexsus

Beto Mesquita, Director, Policy & Institutional Relations at BV Rio

Pedro Ronca, Manager at Cocoa Action

Paola Saad, President at Mandala Group

4:00 PM | Certificates and their Role in Achieving Sustainability in the Agribusiness

Luciano Souza, Partner at Cescon Barrieu

4:10 PM | Closing Remarks

Marcio Pereira, Partner, Environmental Law at BMA Law

ORGANIZED BY

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

Photo Gallery

SESSION 1 | BRAZIL-CANADA RELATIONS IN AGRICULTURE - Full session

SESSION 2 | BRAZIL-CANADA TRADE IN THE AGRI-SECTOR - Full Session

SESSION 3 | AGRITECH: TRENDS & OPPORTUNITIES - Full Session

SESSION 4 | SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN BRAZIL - Full Session

SESSION 1 | BRAZIL-CANADA RELATIONS IN AGRICULTURE

Daniel Ricica
Co-Chair of the Board of the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce (BCCC) & Partner at KPMG Canada
Daniel is a partner in KPMG Toronto with nearly 20 years of experience in public accounting. Daniel lived in Brazil for 5 years and has been working with Brazilian-based companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange for nearly 15 years. Daniel is fluent in Portuguese and is Co-chair of the Brazil Canada Chamber of Commerce and a member of the executive committee.

Ronaldo Ramos
President CCBC
Ronaldo Ramos, the founder, and mentor at CEOlab. Production Engineer by POLI USP specialized in leadership and management of multidisciplinary and multicultural teams and complex corporate structures. He has worked in the aluminum and mining industry in Brazil and Canada, including operations, mergers, acquisitions, and spin-offs. He is currently an advisor to Santa Helena S.A. and Terra Nuts S.A. Board of Directors certified by IBGC, with postgraduate courses in Brazil and abroad in the areas of senior management and strategy, finance, and mergers and acquisitions. Invited professor at Fundação Dom Cabral.

Ambassador Pedro Borio
Ambassador of Brazil to Canada
20 years of combined tax and management experience in assisting foreign and Brazilian multinational companies with their domestic and cross border transactions in Brazil, Latin America, Europe and set-up of international tax structure (financing, IP, trading, holding), along with technical expertise in Planning for regional (Latam) and global structuring (tax treaty, profit repatriation strategies, etc.); inbound and outbound international acquisitions and dispositions; corporate restructuring; transfer pricing review/optimization (Brazil / OECD Model); domestic indirect taxes/customs optimization (Supply chain review); individual international tax planning (family offices).

The Honourable Tereza Cristina
Brazilian Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply
Tereza Cristina Corrêa da Costa Dias is the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock, and Supply of Brazil since January 2019. Tereza Cristina received one of the greatest acknowledgments of her work as a legislator in 2018, when she won in the category "Best Congressperson" during the 11th Edition of the Congress in Focus Award, an accolade bestowed by a media agency dedicated to covering the National Congress. She was among the top-10 rated members of the House and praised as the lead defender of Brazilian agribusiness, also winning in the category "Animal and Plant Health" that same year. She secured a second 4-year term in the Brazilian House of Representatives during the 2018 general election. As a lawmaker, she was President of the “Frente Parlamentar da Agricultura” (Agriculture Caucus), the largest cross-party group in defense of the Brazilian agribusiness. Minister Corrêa da Costa Dias served as a member of important committees at the House of Representatives, covering topics such as finance, taxation, agriculture, livestock, food supply, and rural development. In 2014, Tereza Cristina left her statewide office to run for National Congress. She was elected with strong support from the agricultural sector. Returning to her home state in the late 1990s, Minister Corrêa da Costa Dias took office as Second Secretary of the Agriculture and Livestock State Federation of Mato Grosso do Sul (Famasul). In 2006, she was appointed as Superintendent of the National Service for Rural Learning (Senar) and, at the end of that same year, sworn in as Secretary of Agrarian Development, Production, Industry, Trade, and Tourism of Mato Grosso do Sul, a position she held for seven years. Minister Corrêa da Costa Dias is an agricultural engineer, with a degree from the Federal University of Viçosa. After working in her family farming operation, she was invited to take management positions in multinational companies headquartered in São Paulo. In this capacity, she learned extensively about the Brangus cattle breed, which she eventually introduced in the Central-West Region of Brazil.

Bonny Berger
Commercial & Economic Counsellor and Head of Commercial Section at the Embassy of Canada in Brasilia
A public service innovator with a proven ability to bring together partners and organizations on transformative projects in Canada and abroad. A motivated, energetic, and multilingual who excels in public relations, demonstrates leadership in achievement of results for colleagues and clients. Bonny has over 20 years of global commercial and leadership experience, with a track record of concrete results, an extensive international public and private sector network, and significant financial and human resource management expertise and demonstrated leadership. Worldwide business development, management and cultural experience in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and North America complement the skills of this promoter and strategic advisor to senior industry representatives and high level public sector officials, including CEOs, cabinet ministers, municipal leaders and institutional heads. She has proven success putting the right influencers, decision-makers and business leaders together to achieve tangible, long-lasting results. Expert problem-solver. Fluent in English, French, Spanish, and Italian with proficiency in German and working knowledge of Arabic, Japanese, and Korean.

Paulo Araujo
Agriculture Attache at the Embassy of Brazil in Ottawa
Career Server (Government Manager) currently based in the Ministry of Agriculture, acting as Agricultural Attaché in Canada.

André Dias
Regional Leader LATAM at Nutrien
Global business leader, occupying leadership positions in the US, Asia, and Brazil over the last 20 years, with strong international experience. Led businesses in different industries (agriculture, biotechnology, industrial chemicals, food ingredients, and consumer goods); Solid track record of transformational change in organizations in different cultures and environments, both in turnaround situations and in positioning for growth; Recognized for his ability to build strong organizations, setting up the vision and the strategy to accomplish it, as well as the people and the processes; Close interaction with the Board of Directors and the Executive Team and member of the Global Operations team, establishing the strategy for the company globally; Large experience managing complex organizations in difficult environments. Proven ability to interact with multiple external stakeholders (government, media, regulators); Experience in Mergers and Acquisitions of businesses as well as in launching new growth platforms; Management of large P&L enterprises (2.0 US$ Billion Sales).

Wesley Batista Filho
President Americas at JBS Group
Wesley Filho began his career with JBS USA as a trainee at the Greeley Beef plant located in Colorado. Upon completing the Trainee program, Wesley moved to Brazil joining JBS S.A. In South America Wesley served in various senior roles including, Asian Export Sales, Head of JBS Uruguay, and Head of JBS Paraguay. In 2014 Wesley assumed the position of President of JBS Canada and relocated to Calgary, Alberta. Since February of 2016, Wesley was the president of the beef business in Canada and the USA. Today, he is the president of JBS operations in South America.

Carolina Albernaz
CEO at BCCC
Carolina is an international business specialist with over 20 years of experience and proven skills in business strategy and market intelligence analysis, international business development, event management, and client services. As CEO at the Brazil-Canada Chamber of Commerce, Carolina is responsible for all day-to-day activities of the Chamber, working close to the Board of Directors and stakeholders to identify and promote business and investment opportunities between Brazil and Canada through events and networking. Carolina is an energetic and customer-focused professional with the ability to work proficiently in several languages. Fluent in Portuguese (native), English, and German, with work knowledge of Spanish.

Presentations

Agribusiness - The Role of Technology for the Future of Agriculture by Giovana Araujo, Partner, Agribusiness Market at KPMG Brasil (on 2021-05-26)
EMBRAPA and Agriculture Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) Cooperation by Dr. Alexandre Varella, Coordinator of the Virtual Laboratory in Overseas (Labex-USA) at Embrapa (on 2021-05-26)
Canadian International Innovation Program by Marie-Hélène Béland, Vice Consul and Trade Commissioner IST at the Consulate of Canada in Sao Paulo (on 2021-05-26)
EMBRAPII by Denise Neddermeyer, International Cooperation Officer at EMBRAPII (on 2021-05-26)
Innovation Research in Small Business PIPE by Luciana Hashiba, Coordination of Fapesp’s Innovation Programs (on 2021-05-26)
Bionergy Consulting Co. by Marco Ripolli, Founder of Bionergy Consulting Co (on 2021-05-26)
AGRIHUB by Otavio Celidono, Executive Director at Agrihub (on 2021-05-26)
Overview of the Brazilian Ecosystem for Agtechs by Sergio Pascholati, Board Member at ESALQTec (on 2021-05-26)
SPVentures by Ariadne Caballero, Partner at SPVentures (on 2021-05-26)
Livestock Water Recycling by Karen Schuett, CEO and CO-Founder at LWR (on 2021-05-26)

Presentations