BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Brazil is emphasizing domestic processing and industrial development as it writes rules for critical minerals, complicating expectations of rapid preferential access for foreign buyers after President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection.

Industry Minister Márcio Elias Rosa said November 3 that implementing the national minerals policy is a government priority. An interministerial council is expected to meet in coming weeks to discuss covered minerals, industrialization guidelines and investment screening.

The minister argued that the country should capture value beyond extracting ore. He described screening as a way to channel investment rather than shut it out.

Reuters reported Thursday that Lula’s victory makes quick U.S. access to Brazil’s rare-earth reserves less likely and that industry is seeking clarity about the new framework.

The policy has not yet resolved every investment condition. The distinction between possessing mineral deposits and building domestic processing capacity is central to the government’s stated approach.