Pesticide prices decrease for the first time in 30 months in Colombia
Brazil
In compliance with court decisions, Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluation of pesticides flumioxazin (Cropchem); imazapyr (Rotam); and sulfentrazone (Rotam). (Anvisa)
Legislative Assembly of the State of Rondônia approved Bill No. 1487/2021, that establishes rules for production, sales, transport, use, storage, application, inspection, and destination of pesticide residues and packages in the State. Project revokes Law No. 1841/2007. (Legislative Assembly of the State of Rondônia)
Ministry of Agriculture published 31 pesticide technical product registration requests: 15 herbicides, 6 insecticides and 8 fungicides, among others. (MAPA)
46% of the pesticides used in wheat are applied during April, May and June. Applications aim to prevent stem rust, wheat borer, brown spot, ryegrass and other ailments. (Sindiveg)
Abisolo announced the 1st Abisolo Forum on Organic Fertilizers, on November 8th &
Brazilian Association of the Fine Chemical Industries suggested to the government the creation of a National Plan for Pesticides, to promote Brazilian production of technical and formulated products. According to Antônio Bezerra, CEO of Abifina, the “objective is to strategically supply a share of this market”. (Abifina)
Identified eight species of bacteria with inhibitory activity against the fungus Rhizoctonia solani, that causes root rot in tomato, soybean and beans. Bacteria showed over 70% control of the fungus in vitro. “Bacteria were submitted to tests on tomato seedlings, to assess the protective effect against the phytopathogen and the promotion of plant growth”, according to Jennifer Salgado, from the Federal University of Amazonas. (UFAM)
Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Sustainable Production and Irrigation of the State of Rio Grande do Sul reported a 40.28% reduction in the number of farms affected by drift of hormonal herbicides in the 2022/2023 harvest. It was reported 55 denouncements, that resulted in the collection of 58 samples. 45 samples were positive for hormonal herbicides, totaling 43 affected farms. 2,4-D drift affected grape farms, with 26 cases; pecan, olive and strawberry, with two cases; and tobacco, apple, tomato, wheat, peach, corn and orange, with one case. (Seapi)
Supreme Federal Court of Justice decided to maintain the law that has prohibited aerial spraying of pesticides in the State of Ceará. (STF)
SulGesso developed an “intelligent” fertilizer, that contains potassium encapsulation and phosphorus from phosphogypsum. Phosphogypsum is a byproduct of the fertilizer industry, used in the production of phosphoric acid. Product was developed in partnership with the Federal University of Santa Catarina and received a subsidy of US$ 800 thousand from the Financier of Studies and Projects – Finep. (SulGesso; UFSC; Finep)
Approximately 56 tonnes of seeds, 1,800 L and 3.7 kg of pesticides were seized in Jequitinhonha, State of Minas Gerais. Products were stored improperly and without proof of origin. (IMA; Military Police)
Ordinance No. 1771, of 05/19/2023, of the Agricultural Defense Agency of the State of Pará, determines specifications for warehouses and establishes rules for storage of pesticides inside farms. (Adepará)
“Atlas of pesticides” research, developed by scientific and environmental organizations from Germany and France, concluded that 49% of pesticides sold in Brazil are considered extremely dangerous. “In the short term, Brazil needs to eliminate and ban substances that are considered highly toxic. Also, the country should ban aerial spraying at the national level. Third, it should eliminate tax exemptions for pesticides and approve a national policy to reduce the use of pesticides”, said Larissa Bombardi, professor at the University of São Paulo. (Heinrich Böll Foundation)
More than 90 research centers in Brazil research bioinputs, with more than 300 scientists. In 2020, the government formalized the National Bioinputs Plan, fostering State policies and strategies to encourage the use of biological inputs. In 2005, there was only one biological product registered in the Ministry of Agriculture, according to Fábio Bueno, president of Embrapa’s bioinputs portfolio. “This year, there are already 526 registrations. Brazilian farms are no longer a place for experiments, but for the adoption of high-performance products”, said Bueno. (Embrapa)
Verde Agritech, the company with the biggest capacity to manufacture potash in Brazil, will propose to shareholders to not sell fertilizers to 218 cities in the Amazon region. Objective is to encourage the fight against deforestation. Founder and CEO of Verde Agritech, Cristiano Veloso, said that “from the point of view of revenue, this will not have an impact on our business, but it reinforces the commitment of Brazilian agriculture to a production model that is the most sustainable in the world”. Vote about the subject will happen in June. (Verde Agritech)
Ammonia factory from the University of Passo Fundo, State of Rio Grande do Sul, should be opened by the end of 2023. US$ 10.03 million will be invested. Production capacity will be of 1,500 tonnes of ammonia/year, with the aim of supplying the northern region of the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Construction should begin in two months. According to Fernando Pilotto, technical director at TecnoAgro, the facility will manufacture ammonia using hydrogen from water, replacing natural gas. (UPF; TecnoAgro)
Use of biofertilizers and inoculants promotes an increase of up to eight bags/ha in soybean farming. Rafael Nunes, director of operations at Tradecorp do Brasil, explains that the company carried out studies to identify yield increases resulting from the use of those inputs. “In the Mato Grosso do Sul State, for example, we had an important increase of 8.12 bags of soybeans per hectare, with the combined use of biofertilizer – the first one registered in Brazil – and foliar fertilizer. It is an expressive number that, in addition to making farmers profitable, proves that the region has all the conditions to use our portfolio”, said Nunes. (Tradecorp do Brasil)
According to Bruno Fonseca, senior economist at Rabobank, 2023 had an increase in farmers purchasing power. “This movement is mainly because of the decrease in [the prices of] fertilizers. Commodities may face an oscillation from now on, but, because of the inputs, we believe that this index should improve for the farmer. This scenario points to a resumption of consumption in some countries, such as Brazil and USA, as early as 2023. The current year is a time of transition between the decrease in consumption in 2022 and the resumption of pre-pandemic levels, that should occur in 2024 and 2025”, said Fonseca. (Rabobank)
Executive Secretary for Economic Development of the State of Sergipe, Marcelo Menezes, demands urgency for a solution on the price of natural gas supplied to fertilizer factories in the States of Bahia and Sergipe, before Unigel stops investments. “This needs to happen quickly. The build-up of losses is real and they will certainly not be able to maintain this situation”, he commented. (Sedetec; Unigel)
Raízen is being sued for alleged pesticide contamination of a near-by farm in the city of Óleo, State of São Paulo. Affected area, that produces avocados for export, is next to Santa Tereza farm, where Raízen plants sugarcane. Lawsuit has been pending in the São Paulo Court since August of 2022. According to Raízen, the Department of Agriculture has not proven environmental damage. (Justice Court of São Paulo; Raízen)
Latin America
Pesticide prices decrease for the first time after rising for more than 30 months in Colombia. Agricultural inputs fell by 1.98% in April, compared to the same period in 2022. Fertilizers fell by 2.76%, with simple fertilizers decreasing by 3.58% and compound fertilizers by 2.08%. Pesticides fell by just 0.13% in the period. “Although this is a moderate drop in the prices of pesticides, the trend towards stabilization that this group is beginning to show stands out. We hope it continues in the next months”, said Felipe Fonseca, director of Upra. (Unidad de Planificación Rural Agropecuaria)
Beekeepers in Costa Rica demand the government to ban fipronil, after suspension of an executive decree that has prohibited its use. Since April of 2021, a request for a ban on fipronil has been pending in the country’s Congress. (National Chamber of Beekeeping)
From January to April of 2023, Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos sold more than US$ 10.7 million of 22,693 tonnes of granulated urea to the Bolivian domestic market, according to the manager Gabriela Salazar. “Bolivian farmers demand greater amounts of urea each year. The biggest consumer of fertilizers was the department of Santa Cruz, with a 54% share of sales, followed by Cochabamba, La Paz and Tarija”, said Salazar. (YPFB)
Mirta Toribio, head of research and development at Profertil, a company that concentrates more than half of Argentina‘s fertilizer market, commented on the fertilizer scenario after the drought in the country. “We’ve been talking about the best management practices for nutrition for years… When we talk about correct dosages, we must refer to diagnostic tools, and the main one is soil analysis. We must remember that farmers are worried, and their pockets are tight. Therefore, more than ever, we must be efficient with inputs”, said Toribio. (Profertil)
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