Brazil’s leading food group JBS eyes turning Vietnam into global production hub

JBS, the world’s leading food processing company, is looking to transform Vietnam into a global and regional distribution and production center.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last Sunday met with executives from Brazil’s top economic groups to advance cooperation in sectors such as aviation, biofuels, agriculture, food processing, and distribution.

The Vietnamese leader paid a visit to Brazil to attend the 2025 BRICS Summit and had bilateral activities in the country from July 4-8.

During a meeting with the Prime Minister, Fábio Maia de Oliveira, a representative of JBS, which operates in 24 countries and territories, said that the company has already established two subsidiaries in Vietnam focused on frozen food distribution and leather production.

JBS recently exported its first shipment of beef to Vietnam and is now planning to expand its investment footprint in the country. According to Oliveira, the firm is ready to turn Vietnam into a strategic hub for agricultural and food product production and distribution, both regionally and globally.

Vietnam and Brazil elevated their relationship to a strategic partnership in November 2024. PM Chinh expressed his hope that Brazilian companies, including JBS, will continue to expand their investment and business activities in Vietnam.

He emphasized that Vietnam offers a promising consumer market with a population of over 100 million and a rapidly growing middle class. He highlighted the country’s strategic location as a gateway to both the ASEAN region and Northeast Asian markets like China.

The prime minister encouraged JBS to deepen cooperation with Vietnamese partners to bring its products to local and regional consumers. He called on the firm to support Vietnamese agricultural exports to Brazil and leverage its global distribution network. This strategy aligns with Vietnam’s extensive network of 17 free trade agreements covering more than 60 major economies.

Vietnam is currently negotiating a free trade agreement with Brazil and the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR). Chinh asked JBS to support and promote this process, which would create favorable conditions for the company to expand operations, enhance production, and collaborate with Vietnamese partners in technology transfer and capacity building.

Biofuel cooperation with FS

Also last Sunday, the Prime Minister met with Daniel Lopes, vice president of FS, who proposed a strategic partnership with Vietnam in the field of biofuels.

FS is a pioneer in producing ethanol from corn and is among Latin America’s leading low-carbon biofuel producers.

The prime minister said he welcomed FS’s initiative and interest in collaboration. He noted that Vietnam is actively implementing its energy transition strategy and aiming for net-zero emissions by 2050, with sustainable energy solutions in transportation playing a vital role.

He tasked relevant Vietnamese agencies with exploring the establishment of a cooperation mechanism on biofuels between the two governments. Chinh also called on FS to work with Vietnamese ministries, agencies, and local governments to share expertise in ethanol production.

The Prime Minister encouraged FS to expand its investment, trade, and business cooperation in Vietnam and further partner with local companies, including state-owned Petrovietnam, for technology transfer and integration into the global biofuel value chain.

He proposed that FS explore potential joint investments with Petrovietnam in ethanol production, either in Vietnam or Brazil, and help ensure access to competitively priced E10 gasoline.

Chinh also met with the leadership of Granja Fujikura, a high-tech agricultural enterprise in Brazil and part of the Japan-originated Granja Fujikura Group.