There is a fellowship program for PhD fellowships in Brazil called PEC-PG (more info available at http://www.capes.gov.br/cooperacao-internacional/multinacional/pec-pg), and most PhD courses have fellowships available to most of the selected students. Which course to follow would depend a lot on the specific area on which you would like to conduct your research.
One possible problem, though, is language, since our official language is Portuguese, and most class work would be conducted on Portuguese, although the thesis may be written in English.
Depending on your country of origin, there may be some additional fellowships available.
By the way, most programs in Brazil begin the year in March, with the candidates being selected around October. Some programs also have a secondary entry in August, with selection sometime around May.
My own program, at the Federal Rural University of Pernambuco, should have both entries this year.