SAO PAULO, April 15 (Reuters) - Latin American e-commerce giant MercadoLibre is planning to hire 6,500 people in Brazil this year, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's office said on Monday, after he met with the firm's top executive in the country.

That would increase MercadoLibre's staff in Brazil, its main market, by 28% from the previous year to some 29,000 employees. The new roles will be focused mainly on logistics and technology, according to a government statement. (Reporting by Andre Romani; Editing by Kylie Madry)