Fertilizer prices dropped by 70% in Brazil
Brazil
In compliance with court decision, Anvisa approves the pesticide toxicological evaluation of glufosinate – ammonium salt 200 g/L SL (Cropchem). (Anvisa)
Adapar Ordinance No. 129 from April 28th, 2023, establishes ‘minimum distances for pesticide spraying in the State of Paraná’. Ordinance comes into force 45 days after the date of publication. (Adapar)
Senator Otto Alencar requested that the Pesticide Bill No. 1459/2022, approved by the Brazilian House of Congress in February 2022, to be taken to the Environmental Committee, for discussion by its collegiate. Alencar said he wants “more time to study the project”. President of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front, congressman Pedro Lupion, considered the measure a setback. “The text was ready to go to the Senate plenary. It took us by surprise. We did not imagine this maneuver”, said Lupion. (FPA)
According to the commercial vice-president of Mosaic Fertilizantes, Eduardo Monteiro, fertilizer prices dropped by 70% compared to the previous season, guaranteeing a good moment for Brazilian farmers to buy the input. Monteiro points out that farmers are postponing purchases, and this could lead to a logistical bottleneck in the second half of 2023, and could also increase costs of the input. (The Mosaic Company)
Mirella Lisboa will lead AgroStart, the global open innovation platform of Basf’s Agricultural Solutions Division. (Basf)
Executive Committee of the Cocoa Crop Plan – Ceplac delivered the bioinput Tricovab (Trichoderma stromaticum) to the company BioFungi for commercial production. This is the first technology licensed by Ceplac to control “witches’ broom”, a disease caused by the fungus Moniliophthora perniciosa. When used correctly, Tricovab can reach 87% efficiency in controlling this pest. (Ceplac; BioFungi)
CTNBio’s plant and environmental area subcommittees approved herbicide-resistant cotton, from Basf. The human and animal health areas still need to analyze the approval of GMO cotton resistant to glufosinate ammonium, glyphosate and isoxaflutole. (Basf; CTNBio)
Senar’s Training Center in Sorriso, State of Mato Grosso, now has a “real-time pesticide spraying simulator”, developed by the Argentine company Acronex. This is the first Senar site with this technology, capable of simulating spraying quality with real-time information, evaluating weather conditions through a weather station. (Senar; Acronex)
Sindiveg elected directors and members of the Board for 2023-2026. For Júlio Borges Garcia, re-elected president, the new management has the mission of leading a fundamental segment for Brazilian agriculture. “Defensive technologies allow plants to grow and bear fruit, by protecting them from the attack and proliferation of pests, making them reach their maximum potential”, said Garcia. Sindiveg brings together 27 national and multinational companies, representing approximately 40% of the sector. (Sindiveg)
April’s Fertilizer Purchasing Power Index reached 0.96, compared to 0.97 in March. This is the most favorable scenario for farmers in the past 22 months. (The Mosaic Company)
Anvisa starts a new cycle of collecting food samples to evaluate pesticide residues. Pluriannual Plan 2023-2025 foresees the monitoring of 36 food categories, that represent 80% of the total consumption of food from plant origin. In 2023, Anvisa intends to collect 3,790 samples of pineapple, lettuce, garlic, rice, sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, chayote, guava, oranges, mangoes, peppers, tomatoes and grapes. (Anvisa)
Marcos Hojo is the new director of marketing and development at Albaugh. (Albaugh Brasil)
Project that authorizes direct imports of agrochemicals from Mercosur is pending in the Senate. Bill No. 4316/2021, authored by Senator Luis Carlos Heinze, aims to increase supply and lower prices of pesticides. Deadline for submitting amendments began on 05/11 and ended on 05/17. (National Congress)
Aerial spraying of pesticides is subject of debate at public hearing promoted by the Commission on Human Rights and Participatory Legislation on 05/15, with the participation of attorney Marco de Almeida; the executive director of the National Union of Agricultural Aviation Companies, Gabriel Colle; the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation representative, Jorge Mesquisa; among others. (Senate Agency)
Unigel is negotiating natural gas prices to keep in operation nitrogenous fertilizer factories in the States of Bahia and Sergipe, that are leased from Petrobras, according to the company’s executive purchase director, Luiz Antonio Nitschke. “The Sergipe plant is inactive during maintenance. Of course, we are carrying out the maintenance very slowly, to save money… When the gas is competitive, we will start operating the facility again”, said Nitschke. (Unigel)
Lavoro Agro announces partnership expansion with Morgan, a LongPing High-Tech’s hybrid seed brand. Morgan products will be available at Agrovenci stores in the States of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul and Tocantins; and in América Insumos stores, in the North and East regional clusters. Lavoro reached US$ 200 million in seed sales during the 2021/22 season. (Lavoro Agro)
ICL is expanding investments in specialty fertilizers in Brazil. Company investments increased from US$ 7.16 million in 2021 to US$ 20.45 million in 2023. (Israel Chemicals Ltd.)
Law No. 21894, from 04/28/2023, authored by congressman Antônio Gomide, restricts the use of fipronil in the State of Goiás. Fipronil applications next to properties that carry out beekeeping activities are prohibited in the State. (Government of Goiás State)
Congressman Arnaldo Jardim defends the debate about national fertilizer production. For the parliamentarian, internalizing the industrialization of inputs will contribute to increasing productivity in agriculture and reduce costs. Jardim points out that Brazil imports more than 80% of the entire volume of fertilizers. (Chamber of Deputies)
Cibra wants to reach US$ 2.04 billion in 2023 through the sale of fertilizers. “We have a very clear goal, that is to double the size of the company by 2026. Today, we process 2.2 million tonnes of raw material…”, said Santiago Franco, CEO of Cibra. In 05/10, Cibra opened up a new site in Sinop, State of Mato Grosso, in which was invested invested US$ 47.01 million . (Cibra Fertilizantes)
Latin America
Roberto Rotondaro, president of Fertilizar Asociación Civil, from Argentina, advises about the need to unblock fertilizer imports. “We need to import products in the coming weeks, because otherwise there may be a shortage of fertilizers”, said Rotondaro. From January to March, 200 thousand tonnes of fertilizers were imported, but 40% of the demand for the wheat and barley cultivation still needs to be met. According to Rotondaro, the swap with China and the possibility of paying imports with yuan does not help the fertilizer industry, since only 15% of these inputs are from the Asian country. (Fertilizar Asociación Civil)
US$ 68.64 million worth of fertilizers and pesticides were stolen on Mexico‘s highways in 2022. Puebla, Guanajuato, Michoacán, and Jalisco highways are the most affected. Because of the various cases, the cost of transport insurance policies has increased, according to Luis Eduardo González Cepeda, president of the Mexican Union of Agrochemical Manufacturers and Formulators. Cepeda reported that every month at least 4 trucks with pesticides and fertilizers are stolen in the country. (UMFFAAC)
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