Brazil briefs China on banned soy cargoes, official says

By Ana Mano

SANTOS, April 10 (Reuters) - The Brazilian Agriculture Ministry sent documentation last Monday relative to soybean cargoes halted by China over plant health issues in January, an official said on Thursday.

Hugo Caruso, vegetable products inspections director at the ministry, told Reuters on Thursday that the ministry had been gathering information on the origin of the grains from the concerned firms before providing detailed explanations to Beijing.

Speaking on the sidelines of an event hosted jointly by the Santos Trade Association and grains exporter group Anec, Caruso said the Brazilian government cannot predict what China's response is going to be, nor when it will come.

Brazil is the world's largest soybean producer and exporter. China, the largest importer, is expected to turn to the South American nation for additional supplies amid the trade war with the United States.

Terra Roxa Comercio de Cereais, Olam Brasil, C.Vale Cooperativa Agroindustrial, and U.S. grain traders Cargill and ADM ADM.N were affected by the January suspensions, which only concerned small batches of soybeans, according to the Brazilian government at the time.

Even though specific units of the affected companies remain suspended by China, other suppliers belonging to the same traders have been able to continue soy shipments to China, Caruso said.