Lula Touts ‘Fruit Diplomacy’ at Embrapa, Says He’ll Gift Jabuticaba to Trump and Xi

Overview

• Speaking Thursday at Embrapa’s Brasil na Mesa fair in Planaltina, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he plans to take jabuticaba and passion fruit to Donald Trump and Xi Jinping as calming, symbolic gifts that showcase Brazil’s farm prowess.
• The Embrapa event, run by Brazil’s public agricultural research agency, featured low-cost tools for small producers and a Science Orchard that displays research on crops such as pitaya, maracujá and vanilla.
• Lula argued that Brazil should transfer know-how to African countries and said Trump “wants to make war,” proposing training partnerships between Embrapa and African institutions to boost food production.
• His comments came during a diplomatic flare-up after the U.S. expelled Brazilian federal police liaison Marcelo Ivo de Carvalho from Miami, and Brazil responded by revoking the credentials of a U.S. immigration agent working with the Federal Police.
• Lula also praised a decree that creates 1,000 new Federal Police jobs and said he ordered PF personnel on outside postings to return so the force can fill all roles and strengthen crime-fighting capacity.