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BRICs at 10 - Brazil

How Brazil has transformed itself from an under-achieving Latin American also-ran, into a dynamic modern economy

Today Business Daily puts the B into BRICs, exploring the incredible renaissance of Brazil. Justin Rowlatt explores how Brazil has transformed itself from a Latin American also-ran into a dynamic modern economy.

He travels to the edge of the Amazon to visit one of the most efficient farms on the planet and interviews its owner, Blairo Maggi, the man they call "The King of Soya".

Senator Maggi describes how Brazil pioneered super-efficient agriculture and the challenges of developing the country's manufacturing industry in the face of competition from fellow BRIC, China.

Brazil isn't just an agricultural power, it also has vast reserves of iron ore and other minerals. The icing on the cake was the recent discovery of oil - tens of billions of barrels of the stuff.

Brazil's vast oil reserves have transformed the fortunes of the country and the national oil company, Petrobras.

Justin Rowlatt asks Petrobras chief executive, Jose Sergio Gabrielli de Azevedo, if he believed the Brics designation means anything.

And in a rainy Brasilia, Justin Rowlatt meets up with a lynch-pin of Brazil's trade with China, Charles Tang. Mr Tang is the chairman of the Brazil China Chamber of Commerce.

He argues that the BRIC nations have different strengths and weaknesses but do have various interests in common.

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18 minutes

Last on

Wed 30 Nov 2011 11:32GMT

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  • Wed 30 Nov 2011 08:32GMT
  • Wed 30 Nov 2011 11:32GMT

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