India–Brazil Critical Minerals Pact: Diversifying Supply Chains Away from China
India and Brazil signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on critical minerals and rare earths during PM Modi's meeting with Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in New Delhi on February 21, 2026.
The MoU establishes a framework for bilateral cooperation covering reciprocal investment, exploration, mining, and AI applications in the minerals sector.
PM Modi described the pact as "a major step towards building resilient supply chains" and called Brazil India's "largest trading partner in Latin America."
Both sides set a target to take bilateral trade beyond $20 billion within five years (from $15.21 billion in 2025).
Nine other agreements were also signed, including MoUs on digital cooperation, health, and technology; both sides discussed UN Security Council reforms and Global South solidarity.
Both countries adopted a "wait and watch" posture on US tariff developments following the Supreme Court ruling on IEEPA tariffs.
Critical Minerals: Definition, Strategic Importance, and India's Policy
Critical minerals are raw materials that are economically significant and face supply chain risks, typically due to geographic concentration of production or processing. They are essential for clean energy technologies (electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines), defence systems, semiconductors, and smartphones. India released a list of 30 critical minerals in 2023 under the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act). In 2025, the National Critical Mineral Mission (NCMM) was launched to achieve domestic self-reliance.
Brazil has the world's second-largest reserves of rare earth minerals. The India-Brazil MoU directly addresses India's vulnerability to Chinese dominance in rare earth supply chains.
Rare Earth Elements (REEs): Strategic Geography
Rare earth elements comprise 17 metallic elements (the 15 lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium). Despite the name, most REEs are relatively abundant in the Earth's crust, but economically viable deposits are geographically concentrated. China's dominance in REE processing (not just mining) is the critical vulnerability for technology supply chains globally.
Brazil's large REE reserves complement India's processing ambitions — the MoU creates a potential mining-in-Brazil, process-in-India supply chain that bypasses Chinese chokepoints.
India–Brazil Bilateral Relations and IBSA/BRICS Framework
India and Brazil are both members of BRICS (originally BRIC from 2009, with South Africa added in 2010), IBSA (India, Brazil, South Africa — a trilateral of democracies from the Global South, established 2003), and the G20. Both countries have been vocal advocates of UN Security Council reform. Brazil supports India's permanent UNSC membership under the G4 framework (India, Germany, Japan, Brazil).
Key Details
- BRICS expanded in 2024: Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, UAE added as full members
- IBSA: est. 2003; focuses on South-South cooperation; Dialogue Forum; distinct from BRICS (all three are democracies)
- G4 group: India, Germany, Japan, Brazil — all advocate for expanded permanent membership of the UNSC
- India-Brazil bilateral trade: $15.21 billion in 2025 (up 25% year-on-year); target — $20 billion in five years
- Brazil is India's largest trading partner in Latin America
The critical minerals pact deepens the strategic dimension of India-Brazil ties beyond trade, positioning the partnership within India's broader Global South alliance-building and supply chain diversification strategy.
- India-Brazil bilateral trade in 2025: $15.21 billion (25% YoY increase)
- Trade target set: $20 billion within 5 years
- Brazil's rare earth reserves: world's second-largest
- China's share of global rare earth processing: ~85-90%
- India's 30 critical minerals list released: 2023, under MMDR Act 1957
- KABIL established: JV of NALCO, HCL, MECL — for overseas mineral asset acquisition
- India joined Minerals Security Partnership (MSP): June 2023
- National Critical Mineral Mission launched: 2025; target 1,200 domestic exploration projects by 2030-31
- Agreements signed during Modi-Lula meeting: 10 total (including critical minerals MoU)