INDIA - BRAZIL Relations

Over the past two decades, India and Brazil have grown from friendly but distant partners into full strategic partners. Their relationship now runs through every major level of cooperation: bilateral ties, plurilateral groups such as IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), BRICS and the G4, and wider multilateral forums such as the United Nations, the World Trade Organisation, UNESCO and WIPO. A key early milestone was President Dilma Rousseff's first visit to India in March 2012, which reaffirmed the depth and content of the partnership.

During that visit she held one on one talks with then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on bilateral, regional and global issues, including trade and commerce, science and technology, cultural exchange, reform of the UN Security Council, terrorism, the World Trade Organisation and climate change. These notes form part of our International Relations study notes for Grades 8 to 12.

Historical Background

India and Brazil share a long history that stretches back to early Asian migration to South America, which shaped the evolution of the Americas' indigenous peoples. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Brazil and Goa were both outposts of Portuguese expansion, and this created exchanges visible today in the flora and fauna, food, dress and folk traditions of Brazil.

The striking parallels between the folk tradition of Boi Bumba in northern Brazil and Poikkal Kudirai in south India, for example, show the strong undercurrents of cultural exchange that have flowed over the centuries. The Brazilian television novella Caminho das Indias (Paths to India) greatly raised public awareness of India.

A lesser known link is cattle. Much of Brazil's cattle stock is of Indian ancestry: the Ongole breed from Andhra Pradesh was used to develop the zebu variety known as Nellore in Brazil, and Brazil still imports fresh embryos from India to strengthen the breed.

India opened its diplomatic mission in Rio de Janeiro on 3 May 1948, and moved it to the capital, Brasilia, on 1 August 1971.

Important Bilateral Visits

From India to Brazil

• Dr. S. Radhakrishnan, Vice President (1954)
• Ms. Indira Gandhi, Prime Minister (1968)
• Mr. P.V. Narasimha Rao, Prime Minister (1992)
• Dr. K.R. Narayanan, President (1998)
• Dr. Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister (2006, 2010 and 2012)
• Ms. Pratibha Patil, President (2008)
• Mr. Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, for BRICS (2014 and 2019)

From Brazil to India

• Mr. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, President (1996)
• Mr. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, President (2004, 2007 and 2008)
• Ms. Dilma Rousseff, President (2012)
• Mr. Michel Temer, President, for BRICS (2016)
• President Jair Bolsonaro, State Visit (24 to 27 January 2020)

Recent High Level Visits

Back to back VVIP visits in 2019 and early 2020 gave the relationship fresh momentum, building on a decade of high level exchanges. Prime Minister Modi met President Bolsonaro on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Osaka on 29 June 2019, and again at the XI BRICS Summit in Brasilia on 13 November 2019.

On the invitation of Prime Minister Modi, President Bolsonaro paid a State Visit to India from 25 to 27 January 2020. On 26 January 2020 he was the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day Parade, attending with a high level delegation that included eight ministers, four members of Parliament, senior officials and business leaders.

Action Plan

An Action Plan to Strengthen the India Brazil Strategic Partnership was adopted during the visit, setting out how to revitalise ongoing engagement in a focused way. Fifteen memorandums of understanding and agreements were signed across sectors including investment, mutual assistance in criminal matters, cyber security, oil and gas, bio energy, science and technology, culture, animal husbandry, health and traditional medicines. The two sides also discussed trade and investment, defence, space and cooperation on global issues. The leaders agreed that deeper cooperation in BRICS, IBSA, the UN and other forums, including the fight against terrorism, is essential.

Sixth India Brazil Joint Commission Meeting

Former External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid visited Brazil from 14 to 17 October 2013 and co chaired the Sixth India Brazil Joint Commission Meeting with his counterpart in Brasilia. Both sides reviewed the full range of the strategic partnership, covering political, economic and commercial issues, agriculture, science and technology, defence, culture and hydrocarbons, as well as regional and international developments.

The foreign ministers welcomed the signing of a protocol to the agreement on the avoidance of double taxation, and looked forward to bringing into force a bilateral Customs Mutual Assistance Agreement to help customs authorities work together and secure supply chains. An agreement on the transfer of sentenced persons was also signed, and both sides renewed the 2007 cooperation agreement between their diplomatic academies, the Foreign Service Institute and the Instituto Rio Branco. Brazil also sought India's help in space applications such as mineral resource mapping, weather analysis and mapping topographic change, while India offered to help Brazil build and launch micro and mini satellites. On 3 October 2013, the Indian Embassy in Brasilia and FUNAG, a foundation linked to the Brazilian Foreign Ministry, hosted a seminar titled India and Brazil: A Partnership for the Twenty First Century.

Institutional Mechanisms

As strategic partners, India and Brazil run a number of institutional mechanisms to coordinate their relationship. These include the Joint Commission Meeting (foreign minister level), the Strategic Dialogue (National Security Adviser level), Foreign Office Consultations (secretary level), the Trade Monitoring Mechanism, the Economic and Financial Dialogue, the Consular and Mobility Dialogue, the Joint Defence Commission and the India Brazil Business Leaders Forum. Both sides also maintain several Joint Working Groups to advance cooperation in specific sectors.

Parliamentary Exchanges

A Brazilian parliamentary delegation attended the BRICS Women Parliamentarians' Forum in Jaipur on 20 and 21 August 2016. In Brazil, a Brazil India Parliamentary Friendship Group made up of 35 lower house members and one senator supports the relationship. India, in turn, has run an India Latin America and Caribbean Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Investment and Trade

Bilateral trade

India and Brazil conducted bilateral trade worth about US$ 8.2 billion in 2018 to 2019, made up of roughly US$ 3.8 billion of Indian exports to Brazil and US$ 4.4 billion of imports from Brazil. India's main exports to Brazil include agrochemicals, synthetic yarns, auto components and parts, pharmaceuticals and petroleum products. Brazil mainly exports crude oil, gold, vegetable oil, sugar and bulk minerals and ores to India.

Bilateral investment

Indian firms have invested in information technology, pharmaceuticals, energy, agribusiness, mining, engineering and automobiles, while Brazilian firms have invested in automobiles, information technology, mining, energy, biofuels and footwear.

• India has invested significantly in Brazil. UPL has put around US$ 150 million into new plants in Sao Paulo and is focused on growing its pulses segment, which includes chickpeas, lentils and specialty beans.
• The Sterlite Group was awarded a US$ 800 million power transmission line project and signalled plans to invest up to US$ 4 billion in Brazil.
• In 2018, India's total investment in Brazil stood at around US$ 6 billion, while Brazil's total investment in India was around US$ 1 billion.

Trade Monitoring Mechanism

India and Brazil set up a Trade Monitoring Mechanism to track and clear bottlenecks in bilateral trade. Since 2008 it has met several times, with a meeting held in New Delhi on 24 January 2020.

India MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement

MERCOSUR is a South American bloc made up of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. India and MERCOSUR signed a Preferential Trade Agreement in 2004, and both sides have since worked to widen the list of items covered so that more goods can be traded on favourable terms.

Defence and Security Cooperation

India and Brazil signed a defence cooperation agreement in 2003. The Joint Defence Committee is the formal mechanism for this cooperation and meets regularly; the sixth meeting took place in Brasilia in February 2019. During President Bolsonaro's State Visit (24 to 27 January 2020), the two leaders stressed the importance of broad based defence cooperation to the strategic partnership.

On 27 January 2020, New Delhi hosted a defence industry event. During the visit, Taurus Armas SA, a Brazilian firearms company, signed a joint venture with Jindal Defence (part of the O.P. Jindal Group) to make and sell small arms in India, including a plant in Hisar, Haryana with an initial investment of about US$ 5 million. The Indian and Brazilian Navies also coordinate on White Shipping Information through a data sharing agreement, which lets them share details of commercial maritime traffic.

Strategic dialogue

India and Brazil set up a strategic dialogue in 2006 to discuss regional and global issues. On the Indian side it is led by the National Security Adviser. The two countries also have an Extradition Treaty, a Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters and an Agreement on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

Cybersecurity

During President Bolsonaro's January 2020 State Visit, CERT In and its Brazilian counterpart signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cyber security cooperation. India and Brazil also work together on cyber issues through BRICS and IBSA.

Space Cooperation

India and Brazil signed a framework agreement for the peaceful use of outer space in 2004, along with an agreement between their space agencies. The two countries have cooperated on sharing information and tracking Indian satellites. As part of the UNISPACE+50 initiative, marking 50 years since the first UN conference on outer space, ISRO ran an eight week training programme on building nanosatellites. The programme, called UNNATI (UNispace Nanosatellite Assembly and Training by ISRO), was attended by two officials from the Brazilian Space Agency (AEB).

Science and Technology Cooperation

India and Brazil signed a Science and Technology Cooperation Agreement on 12 September 2006, and President Bolsonaro signed a Programme of Scientific and Technological Cooperation during his 2020 State Visit.

• So far the cooperation has run 15 joint workshops and three major coordinated projects in biotechnology and human health, renewable and low carbon energy, information and communication technology, ocean sciences and climate change.
• The most recent meeting of the Joint Committee on Science and Technology was held on 30 May 2018.
• The Maitri Indo Brazil Agritech Cross Incubation Programme aims to speed up the adoption of new farming technologies.

Biofuels, Oil and Gas

Brazilian companies are world leaders in bioenergy, and the two countries already cooperate in multilateral biofuel platforms. India's National Biofuel Policy and Brazil's RenovaBio programme both aim to raise the share of biofuel blended into petrol and diesel.

Engagement in the hydrocarbon sector has grown in recent years. Brazil hosts India's largest upstream oil investment in South America. In 2018 to 2019, India imported about 3.4 million tonnes of crude oil from Brazil, worth around US$ 1.6 billion. Brazil is South America's second largest oil producer after Venezuela, with crude oil reserves of about 13.4 billion barrels. President Bolsonaro's State Visit produced memorandums of understanding to deepen cooperation in bioenergy and in oil and gas, and Brazil has signed the International Solar Alliance Agreement.

Agriculture, Food Processing and Animal Husbandry

Agriculture, food processing and animal husbandry are further key areas of cooperation. Brazilian and Indian cattle are closely related, and Indian breeds such as Gir and Kankrej have long been bred for high milk yields. The two sides work together on capacity building and technology transfer.

Scholarships and Training

Brazil is covered by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) scholarship programme, which offers two fixed slots each year, and by the AYUSH scholarship scheme. Under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme, around 55 Brazilians have received training in communications, management and defence since 2011, including nine defence course slots over five years, and four Brazilian diplomats have trained at the Foreign Service Institute in New Delhi.

Cultural Exchange

A Cultural Exchange Programme for 2020 to 2024 was signed during President Bolsonaro's January 2020 State Visit. India's culture, religion, performing arts and philosophy have a strong presence in Brazil.

• The first Indian influences to reach Brazil were spiritual, philosophical and religious, and Indian folklore has much in common with the joyful, colourful celebrations of northern and northeastern Brazil.
• Bharatanatyam arrived first, followed by Odissi, Kathak and Kuchipudi. Yoga is taught by many organisations across Brazil, including the Ramakrishna Mission, ISKCON, the Satya Sai and Maharishi movements and the Bhakti Vedanta Foundation.
• Yoga and Ayurveda are popular in Brazil. The Brazilian Association of Ayurveda is a non profit body with members across the country, and the third International Congress on Ayurveda was held in Rio de Janeiro in March 2018 with more than 4000 delegates from India.

In 2015, the first International Day of Yoga was observed in 12 Brazilian cities, and the Brazilian postal service, Correios, issued a commemorative stamp. Since September 2017 the Indian Embassy has offered regular yoga classes. Brazil's capital, Brasilia, joined other cities in celebrating the fifth International Day of Yoga in 2019: on 21 June 2019 a mass yoga session was held in front of Brasilia's National Museum, a session was held in the Chamber of Deputies, and more than 5000 people took part in events across Brazil.

Mahatma Gandhi is also widely honoured in Brazil, where government bodies and NGOs promote non violence among students, young people and police. There are Gandhi statues in Rio, Sao Paulo and Londrina, and each year the Filhos de Gandhy (Sons of Gandhi) hold street processions in Salvador. Various events were held in 2019 to mark Gandhi's 150th birthday, and on 9 January 2020 a bust of Mahatma Gandhi was installed at City Park in Brasilia.

The Indian Community in Brazil

The Indian community in Brazil is small, at around 2000 people, concentrated in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Manaus. Most are professionals and business people, along with some scientists and researchers in fields such as agriculture and physics. There is an Indian Association in Sao Paulo.

Travel and Visas

Under a bilateral agreement, holders of diplomatic and official passports do not need a visa for stays of up to 90 days. There are no direct flights between India and Brazil; travellers usually connect through Europe (London, Frankfurt, Paris or Amsterdam), the United States (New York or Chicago) or Dubai.

Convergences and Opportunities

Even as substantive ties strengthen, some challenges remain. The most obvious is sheer distance: there are no direct flights or bulk shipping routes between the two countries, which raises the cost of trade. Both are large, populous democracies, with India home to around 1.4 billion people and Brazil to around 210 million, the largest population in South America. Closing the distance gap and widening the range of goods and services they trade are the main tasks ahead.

Why it still matters

These notes describe the partnership as it stood around 2020, but the story has moved on quickly, and in the same direction. In July 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a State Visit to Brazil, straight after joining the BRICS Summit hosted by Brazil in Rio de Janeiro. It was only the second bilateral visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Brazil in 57 years, a sign of how much both sides now value the link.

The headline outcome was economic. Modi and President Lula da Silva agreed to lift two way trade from about US$ 12.2 billion to a target of US$ 20 billion over the next five years. They also set out a roadmap built around five themes that update the older agenda in this brief: defence and security, food and nutritional security, energy transition and climate change, digital transformation and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and industrial partnerships. India is sharing its digital public infrastructure, and Brazil received Modi with its highest civilian honour, the Grand Collar of the National Order of the Southern Cross.

Climate is now a shared front line. In November 2025 Brazil hosted COP30, the United Nations climate summit, in Belem on the edge of the Amazon rainforest, the first time a climate COP had been held in a rainforest. The meeting closed with a call to roughly triple funding to help developing countries cope with climate change, an outcome that matters to India and Brazil as two of the largest voices of the developing world. In 2025 new United States tariffs on goods from both countries gave them one more reason to trade more with each other and to speak up together in groups such as BRICS, the G20 and the WTO. Brazil chaired BRICS in 2025 and India is set to chair the group in 2026. You can explore how these institutions fit together on the Learnacy Hub, and browse more country and organisation briefs in our study notes library.

Sources

1. Prasar Bharati (News on AIR), "PM Modi sets US$ 20 billion trade target with Brazil": https://www.newsonair.gov.in/pm-modi-sets-20-billion-trade-target-with-brazil-by-2030
2. Prasar Bharati (News on AIR), "PM Narendra Modi to participate in BRICS Summit at Rio de Janeiro": https://www.newsonair.gov.in/pm-narendra-modi-to-participate-in-brics-summit-at-rio-de-janeiro-in-brazil-on-july-6
3. United Nations, "COP30 climate summit, Belem, Brazil": https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/cop30

Key takeaways

• India and Brazil have built a comprehensive strategic partnership over the last twenty years, collaborating across bilateral, plurilateral, and multilateral platforms.
• The two nations share historical and cultural connections dating back to Portuguese expansion, which influenced local traditions, agriculture, and cattle breeding.
• Formal diplomatic relations began when India established a mission in Rio de Janeiro in 1948, which later relocated to Brasilia in 1971.
• High-level diplomatic exchanges have been frequent, highlighted by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro serving as the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day Parade in January 2020.
• During the 2020 State Visit, the countries adopted an Action Plan to strengthen their partnership, signing fifteen agreements covering areas like cyber security, energy, and investment.

Test yourself

Which Indian cattle breed was used to develop Brazil's Nellore variety?

The Ongole breed from Andhra Pradesh.

When and where did India open its first diplomatic mission in Brazil?

On May 3, 1948, in Rio de Janeiro.

Who was the Chief Guest at India's Republic Day Parade on January 26, 2020?

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Frequently asked questions

What are plurilateral groups in the context of India-Brazil relations?

Plurilateral groups are cooperative frameworks involving a limited number of countries with shared interests, such as IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa), BRICS, and the G4, which India and Brazil actively participate in alongside other members.

Why are high-level visits important for India-Brazil relations?

High-level visits, such as those by presidents and prime ministers, provide opportunities to discuss and reaffirm bilateral, regional, and global issues, including trade, technology, and multilateral reforms, thereby deepening the partnership.

How did Portuguese colonial history influence India-Brazil relations?

During the 16th to 18th centuries, both Brazil and Goa were Portuguese colonies, leading to exchanges in flora, fauna, food, dress, and folk traditions, such as the cultural parallels between Boi Bumba in Brazil and Poikkal Kudirai in India.

What is the significance of the Action Plan adopted during President Bolsonaro's 2020 visit?

The Action Plan to Strengthen the India-Brazil Strategic Partnership was adopted to revitalize ongoing engagement by outlining specific steps to deepen cooperation across various sectors, building on the momentum of high-level exchanges.