TPP to negatively impact Brazil agriculture: official

The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) could have a negative impact on Brazil's agricultural sector, according to Brazilian Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira.

The shift in commercial flows caused by the TPP would not have a "very large" impact on Brazilian industry, Vieira told the Senate's foreign relations committee on Tuesday.

He said the wide-reaching free-trade agreement could lead to "damage in the agricultural sector" for Brazil and many developing countries.

To counter such negative effects, the foreign minister said developing countries should push for the conclusion of the Doha Round of talks and rely on the multilateralism inherent in the World Trade Organization (WTO), which will discuss the future of the Doha talks at a conference in Nairobi next month.

"Brazil maintains its belief in multilateralism and the WTO," Vieira told the Senate.

According to Vieira, "there are countries that are seeking the end of the Doha Round," while others, like Brazil, "want it to continue as it is important to consider the interests of developing countries" in international trade.

The TPP, agreed in October 2015, groups the U.S., Japan, Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam, representing 40 percent of global GDP. Endi