Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva began a five-nation tour Sunday to boost energy cooperation among Latin American and Caribbean nations.

During his six-day visit, Lula is expected to sign a memorandum of understanding on biofuel development with Mexico, Honduras and Panama. He will also visit Nicaragua and Jamaica, where he will attend the inauguration of a Jamaican-Brazilian joint ethanol dehydration plant, said the Foreign Ministry.

Brazil, the world's leading biofuel producer and exporter, produces 20,000 million liters of biofuel annually, mostly ethanol from sugarcane.