Saudi Arabia's SALIC Ups Stake in Brazil's Minerva Foods

The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund. Asharq Al-Awsat
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Saudi Arabia's SALIC Ups Stake in Brazil's Minerva Foods

The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund. Asharq Al-Awsat
The Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Company (SALIC) is fully owned by the Public Investment Fund. Asharq Al-Awsat

Saudi investment firm SALIC said on Wednesday it had increased its stake in Brazilian meat company Minerva Foods to 33.83% from 25.5%.

SALIC, the Saudi Agricultural and Livestock Investment Co, fully owned by the Public Investment Fund, was launched in 2012 to secure food supplies for Saudi Arabia through mass production and investment.

"Minerva Foods is one of the largest meat production companies in South America and the second-largest exporter in Brazil as it produces more than one million tons of meat annually. Minerva Foods mainly serves the demands of foreign markets and during this year, it has already exported 750,000 tons of red meat to more than 100 countries around the globe," the Saudi-based Company said in statement.

This comes as Saudi Arabia consumes 550,000 tonnes of red meat a year, of which 70% is imported.

Since its formation in 2012, SALIC has been operating in the agricultural and livestock investment sector and working in countries that have comparative advantages, enabling it to meet the objectives set by the food security program through foreign investments, the provision of food products, and working with relevant government agencies to stabilize food commodity prices in the Kingdom.

In 1992, the Brazilian Group began to invest in the industrialization of beef and beef products, offering high quality meat. It currently operates 25 factories in South America.

In addition to its operational units in South America, Minerva Foods also has commercial offices in 9 countries to provide differentiated service in these regions.



IMF Says US Tax, Spending Bill Runs Counter to Deficit-Cutting Advice

 Pens lay on a table before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to sign President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)
Pens lay on a table before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to sign President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)
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IMF Says US Tax, Spending Bill Runs Counter to Deficit-Cutting Advice

 Pens lay on a table before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to sign President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)
Pens lay on a table before House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., arrives to sign President Donald Trump's signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts, Thursday, July 3, 2025, at the Capitol in Washington. (AP)

The massive US tax and spending bill slated for a final vote in Congress runs counter to the International Monetary Fund's recommendations that Washington reduce fiscal deficits over the medium term, IMF spokesperson Julie Kozack said on Thursday.

Kozack told a regular news briefing that there was a broad consensus that the Republican bill will add to US fiscal deficits, while the US needs to start a fiscal consolidation.

"From the IMF side, we have been consistent in saying that the US will need to reduce its fiscal deficit over time to put public debt-to-GDP on a decisive downward path," Kozack said. "Of course, the sooner that process starts to reduce the deficit, the more gradual the deficit reduction can be over time."

Kozack said that there were many policy options for the US to reduce deficits and debt, adding: "It is, of course, important to build consensus within the United States about how it will address its these chronic fiscal deficits."

In recent years, the IMF has recommended that the US raise taxes, including on middle income earners, to close fiscal deficits. The Republican tax bill extends 2017 tax cuts and adds new tax breaks for many Americans.

The IMF advice is at odds with the views of US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who has consistently said that he disagrees with traditional budget forecasts and believes that the so-called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" will spur additional US economic growth that will boost revenues.

The United States is the biggest shareholder of the IMF. Bessent, who manages the US stake, has criticized the Fund for straying too far from its core economic stability and surveillance missions.

Kozack said that the IMF was examining details of the US legislation and the likely impact on the economy, and will incorporate its analysis into the late July update of its World Economic Outlook global growth forecasts.

The forecasts also will assess the state of play on US tariffs, after President Donald Trump's July 9 deadline to subject many countries to sharply higher duties unless they agree trade deals.