Brazilian beef will need to complete sanitary certification procedures before gaining access to the South Korean market, ApexBrasil President Laudemir Müller said Tuesday. The two countries are still working through the technical requirements for Brazilian meat exports.
ApexBrasil is Brazil’s Trade and Investment Promotion Agency. Müller described South Korea as a strategic market for Brazilian agricultural products and said the country’s demand for imported beef creates an opportunity for Brazilian suppliers.
“South Korea imports beef, and that is the market we are seeking to access. All the certification work has to be completed. This market will open,” Müller said at an event organized by ApexBrasil, according to CNN Brasil.
Technical Requirements
Müller did not provide a timetable for completing the certification process. He said the deadlines and next steps remain under discussion between the technical teams involved in the negotiations.
Sanitary certification is a standard requirement for meat exporters and covers the procedures used by authorities to assess whether products meet the importing country’s health and safety rules. The specific requirements under discussion were not detailed in the report.
The South Korean market is important to Brazil because the Asian country relies on food imports and is dealing with inflation and food-security concerns, Müller said. He argued that Brazil’s large agricultural production capacity and competitive costs could make it a strategic supplier.
The comments are based on single-source reporting from CNN Brasil. The report did not say that South Korea had formally authorized Brazilian beef imports or identify a date for market opening.
Broader Trade Opportunities
ApexBrasil is also working to expand Brazilian exports of other products to South Korea. Müller cited fruit and coffee as areas with potential for increased commercial ties.
Energy is another opportunity. South Korea depends on imported energy, while Brazil has developed an energy mix with a significant share of renewable sources. According to Müller, this could create room for greater trade in biofuels.
The agency’s role, he said, is to bring companies together and identify areas in which the Brazilian and South Korean economies complement each other. That effort includes helping Brazilian exporters navigate technical procedures and find buyers in the Korean market.
For now, beef access remains conditional on the completion of the sanitary certification process. The eventual opening of the market will depend on agreements reached by the authorities and technical teams in both countries.