G/STR/N/19/BRA  
 
5 July 2022  
(22-5182) Page: 1/3 
Working Party on State Trading Enterprises  Original: English  
 
 
STATE TRADING  
NEW AND FULL NOTIFICATION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE XVII:4(A) OF THE  
GATT 1994 AND PARAGRAPH 1 OF THE UNDERSTANDING ON  
THE INTERPRETATION OF ARTICLE XVII  
BRAZIL 
The following notification, dated and received on 5 July 2022, is being circulated at the request of 
the delegation of Brazil . 
 
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Pursuant to Article XVII:4(a) of the GATT 1994 and paragraph 1 of the Understanding on the 
Interpretation of A rticle XVII of the GATT 1994, and in response to the call for notifications contained 
in document G/STR/N/19, Brazil makes the following notification for the years 2020 -2021.  
I. Enumeration of state trading enterprises  
A. Identification of state trading enterprises.  
Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab – National Company for Food Supply).  
B. Description of products affected (including tariff item number(s) encompassed in 
product description).  
Agricultural Products (commodities).  
II. Reason a nd purpose  
A. Reason or purpose for establishing and/or maintaining state trading enterprise.  
The company's mission is to provide intelligence on agriculture and livestock and to participate in 
the formulation and execution of public policies, contributing  to the regularity of food supply and to 
the provision of income to rural producers. The enterprise maintains regular and grain warehouses 
in the different regions of Brazil, with the aim of stocking agricultural products and ensuring food 
supply to the po pulation.  
Conab offers detailed and updated information on the national production in agriculture and 
livestock, by collecting data on forecasts of harvests, costs of production and stockholding, stock 
positioning and market indicators, besides technical s tudies on supply of and demand for relevant 
products, among other data. Its studies and research, as well as information on the company's 
initiatives, are publicly available in its institutional website and allow for the general diffusion of data 
and infor mation.  G/STR/N/19/BRA  
 
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  B. Summary of legal basis for granting the relevant exclusive or special rights or privileges, 
including legal provisions and summary of statutory or constitutional powers.  
Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab – National Company for Food Supp ly) is a public 
federal enterprise of private law with its headquarters in Brasília, linked to the Ministry of Agriculture, 
Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA). The company was created by means of Law No. 8.029, of 
12 April 1990. Its activities started on 1 January  1991.  
Its administrative bodies are the Administration Council (Consad), Fiscal Council (Confis) and the 
Board of Directors. Consad is presided by the Executive Secretary of MAPA and is composed by the 
President Director of Conab, up to three repres entatives from MAPA and one from the Ministry of 
Economy. Confis, Conab's supervision body, is composed of three effective members and their 
alternates: one from the National Treasury and two from MAPA, appointed by the Minister of 
Agriculture, Livestock a nd Food Supply after approval from the President of Brazil. The board of 
Directors is composed of the Company's President and its Directors.  
III. Description of the functioning of the state trading enterprise  
A. Summary statement providing overview of oper ations of the state trading enterprise.  
The Social Statute of Conab, in its object and social goals, provides for the following initiatives:  
• formation of regulatory and strategic stocks to absorb surpluses and correct imbalances 
resulting from speculation;  
• planning, regulating and executing the Federal Government's Policy for Ensurance of 
Minimum Prices;  
• implementing other instruments for support of prices in agriculture and livestock;  
• developing actions of foreign trade, according to directives from the Mi nistry of 
Agriculture, Livestock and Food Supply (MAPA) and to legislation related to the Chamber 
of Foreign Trade (Camex). Under normal circumstances, the private sector is in charge of 
imports and exports of agricultural products. Conab's commercial acti vities related to 
stock moving are conditioned to authorization from MAPA and, when required, from 
Camex. All these activities, when authorized, are conducted by means of electronic 
tenders with market prices and, therefore, no distortion is caused . 
B. Specification of exclusive or special rights or privileges enjoyed by the state trading 
enterprise.  
Conab holds no special right or privilege to export, import, buy or sell agricultural products. Conab 
is a federal public company of private law, which oper ates under market conditions just as private 
companies do. It is granted no privilege from government.  
C. Type of entities other than the state trading enterprise that are allowed to engage in 
importation/exportation and conditions for participation.  
Any import, export, purchase or sale of agricultural commodities in Brazil may be freely conducted 
by private agents, without any restriction.  
D. How import/export levels are established by the state trading enterprise.  
During the period cov ered by this notification, Conab has not imported or exported any agricultural 
product.  
E. How export prices are determined.  
Does not apply (see III.D).  G/STR/N/19/BRA  
 
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  F. How the resale prices of imported products are determined.  
Does not apply (see III.D).  
G. Whether lo ng term contracts are negotiated by the state trading enterprise. Whether 
the state trading enterprise is used to fulfil contractual obligations entered into by the government.  
Does not apply.  
H. Brief description of market structure.  
Operations in the mar ket of agricultural products are conducted by private, independent buyers and 
sellers.  
IV. Statistical information  
Does not apply. No foreign trade has taken place.  
V. Reason why no foreign trade has taken place  
During the period covered by this notificati on, Conab has not imported or exported agricultural 
products because such operations have not been necessary to accomplish its institutional mission.  
VI. Additional information  
No additional information.  
 
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