MUMBAI, India, September 5 — Brazil Consul General Jose Mauro da Fonseca Costa Couto on Saturday said bilateral trade between India and Brazil has grown tenfold over the past 20 years, from $1.5 billion in 2004 to more than $15 billion at present.
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the Global Impact Forum: Edition II — Civilisation Legacy in Mumbai, Couto highlighted the growth in trade between India and Brazil.
“I’ll tell you one thing, very tangibly, in 2004, when I first came to India, bilateral trade, two-way trade, was $1.5 billion. Nowadays, two-way trade is over $15 billion. So we’ve grown tenfold in 20 years,” he said.
“So congratulations to India and to Brazil for moving so fast, so rapidly, into bringing people together from India and Brazil,” he added.
Couto also congratulated the organizers of the event, saying it promotes closer ties between people from different countries and provides a platform to discuss their respective pathways to development.
“I’d like to congratulate the organizers of this event, which further promotes and brings peoples of different countries together so they can discuss their own pathways to development without interference from other countries,” he said.
He further referred to the gathering as a “warm-up” summit ahead of the larger BRICS Summit in Delhi on September 12-13.
“So basically, congratulations for hosting this summit, which is one of the, let’s say, warm-up summits toward the larger BRICS Summit, which will take place in Delhi quite soon,” Couto said.
The Global Impact Forum Edition II, organized by AP Globale, is being held September 5-6 at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai under the theme “Civilisational Legacy.”
The forum brought together participants from business, government, policy and academia, with discussions centered on investment, entrepreneurship, diplomacy and international cooperation.
Before the launch of the forum, AP Globale Director Janhavi Pawar spoke to ANI and said it had been designed with the BRICS theme in mind, with a focus on soft power and investment in India.
Highlighting the business relevance of cultural understanding, Pawar said, “When it comes to soft power, it helps retain trade, investments and talent in a country even during geopolitical instability.”
She said understanding local cultures and sentiments is particularly important for companies entering new markets, adding that the forum aims to build greater understanding and trust between participating countries and delegations.
As BRICS Chair 2026, India will host the 18th BRICS Summit on September 12-13 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. The summit will bring together leaders of BRICS member and partner countries as well as outreach invitees.
India’s BRICS chairship is guided by the theme “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” reflecting Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of a people-centric approach rooted in the spirit of “Humanity First,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a press release earlier. (ANI)
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