There are 33 legal projects with the objective of restricting pesticides in Mexico
Brazil
Anvisa approves toxicological evaluation of a new technical product (active ingredient not yet registered in the country), aminocyclopyr, from Corteva. (Anvisa)
Increase in the use of biological inoculants reached 15% per year since 2009. “Biological inputs have been gaining strength as alternative to traditional inputs, with many purposes and benefits, such as supplying nitrogen through biological fixation; solubilization of nutrients, such as phosphorus, that is present in soils, but unavailable to plants; and plant growth promotion, through the release of phytohormones”, according to Solon Cordeiro de Araujo, executive director of the National Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Inoculants. Biological inoculants based on bacteria of the genus Bradyrhizobium accounted for 57.4% of sales in 2022. Products containing Azospirillum and Pseudomonas accounted for the remaining 38.6%. (ANPII)
In compliance with court decision, Anvisa approves toxicological evaluation of isoxaflutole 750 g/kg WG from Cropchem. (Anvisa)
Researchers from the State University of São Paulo – Unesp developed a method to remove glyphosate residues from water. The technique uses cellulose fibers from sugarcane bagasse as an adsorbent material, capable of retaining glyphosate molecules on its surface. “After crushing the bagasse, it is necessary to isolate the cellulose, separating it from the hemicellulose and lignin, that also make up the sugarcane residue. Once the cellulose is isolated, the next step is to turn the fibers functional, adding quaternary ammonium groups to their surface, giving the material a positive charge, and making it possible to obtain cationic cellulose microfibers, that bind easily to glyphosate,” according to Guilherme Dognani, a post-PhD student from Unesp and one of the project coordinators. (Unesp – Presidente Prudente)
Newton Nagumo is the new CMO (chief marketing officer) of Verde Agritech, that operates the largest potash mine in Brazil. (Verde Agritech)
Ibama released a list with all concluded pesticide environmental evaluations up to August 22nd, 2023. 278 products have been evaluated: 6 Class I – Highly dangerous, 96 Class II – Very dangerous, 127 Class III – Dangerous, 12 Class IV – Slightly dangerous, and 37 without classification. (Ibama)
ICL will manufacture fertilizers on demand for other fertilizer companies. The strategy is to strengthen B2B operations in Brazil, mainly for foliar fertilizers. According to B2B director at ICL, Victor Scotton, the model known as “private label” should represent 30% of the revenue of the foliar fertilizers division in the B2B segment over the next five years. (ICL)
Inácio Barbosa Maritime Terminal – TMIB, operated by VLI in the State of Sergipe, increased cargo volume by 60% in the 1H of 2023, mainly for fertilizers. Located in Barra dos Coqueiros, this is the only port terminal in Sergipe. “The TMIB has become a strategic option to meet the demand for fertilizers, putting Sergipe and the Northeast region on important logistics routes”, said the commercial manager of VLI, Márcio Marques. (VLI Multimodal S.A)
On August 23rd, the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office announced the opening of a civil inquiry to investigate possible non-compliance with federal legislation that regulates the aerial spraying of pesticides on farms in the region of Ponta Porã, State of Mato Grosso do Sul. (MPF)
Researchers from the University Center of Brasília are evaluating the potential of using fungi for environmental pesticide decontamination. The results indicate promising potential for the use of filamentous fungi in the bioremediation of areas contaminated with glyphosate and 2,4-D. “We seek to select resistant microorganisms for bioremediation of herbicides, with the potential to be maintained in laboratories. This could be useful in cases of pesticide spillage or to accelerate the recovery of degraded areas”, according to researcher Cláudio Cerri. (UniCEUB)
Soybean plant anomaly, a disease that causes plant stems to break and grains to rot, can cause a reduction of up to 40% in production. Proper control of soybean diseases, including the use of fungicides to control the Diaporthe fungus and anthracnose, reduces the severity of the soybean anomaly. The association with carboxamide-based fungicides, especially those containing the active ingredient solatenol, is essential for success in controlling grain and seed rot. (Syngenta; Embrapa)
According to a Datafolha survey, 64% of the Brazilian population agrees that it is necessary to increase taxes specifically for pesticides. (Datafolha)
Due to the demands from Brazil and India, prices of nitrogen fertilizers showed a strong increase. In Brazil, urea prices rose sharply, reaching US$ 445/tonne on August 4th, closing at US$ 420/tonne CFR on August 11th, up 23.5% when compared to the beginning of July. Brazilian demand is also strong for phosphates, with prices rising 13.3% compared to the beginning of July, closing at US$ 510/tonne CFR on August 11th. (Itaú BBA)
According to the Pastoral Land Commission, 193 people were contaminated by pesticides in 2022, 171% more than in 2021. In total, at least 6,831 families, in 13 States, were affected by pesticides, mainly because of aerial spraying. (CPT)
Nitro, a Brazilian company focused on the plant nutrition, biological inputs and chemical specialties market, announced a joint venture with researcher and biologist Heraldo Negri. The joint venture will be called Vivus, focused on building a factory in Piracicaba, State of São Paulo, to manufacture biopesticides. The company expects to invest US$ 16.35 million in this project over the next three years. Currently, Nitro has 15 biological pesticides based on fungi and bacteria in its portfolio. (Nitro Química)
Pedro Lupion, congressman and president of the Agricultural Parliamentary Front, defends the approval of the pesticide Bill No. 1459/2022, that is under evaluation by the Federal Senate. “What we want is a simplification of the product registration process so that we can have more modern, more up-to-date molecules, less harmful to health and to the environment”, said Lupion. “More modern molecules and products should mean more efficiency, fewer pesticide applications, less waste…”. (FPA)
Anderson Faustino, CEO and founder of the Cropfield Group, said that the company plans to make new investments in the coming years, including the construction of a biopesticide plant in Apucarana, State of Paraná, by January of 2024. “In addition to the biological plant, we also plan to invest more than US$ 4.12 million in a chemical pesticides formulation plant, to produce SL, SC, EC, and OD products…”, said Faustino. (Grupo CropField do Brasil)
Proposal for a Joint Ordinance by the Ministry of Agriculture, Ibama and Anvisa, seeks to establish “specific procedures for the distribution of pesticide processes pending registration of equivalent technical products, premixes and formulated products, with the purpose of complying with art. No. 3 of the Decree No. 10,833, from October 7th of 2021″. Among its articles, the proposal states that the “distribution of premixes and formulated product processes will take into account the conclusion of the analysis by two of the three responsible regulatory agencies, regardless of the protocol date”, in addition to other guidelines. (MAPA)
Latin America
Exchange rate increase in Argentina, that already exceeds 365 pesos for each dollar, has harmed the exchange rate between grains and fertilizers. In July, 2.8 tonnes of corn were needed to purchase a tonne of fertilizer. Now, 4.4 tonnes are needed. “This reflects a loss of purchasing power of 57% for corn and leaves relations very deteriorated in relation to historical values”, said Jeremías Battistoni, consultant at AZ Group. Urea purchases in the country amounted to 307 thousand tonnes in 2023, that is 28% less compared to 2022. (AZ Group)
“We are going to finance fertilizer for all farmers who are in a state of emergency. The program has a very important budget for urea, so that farmers will be able to plant during the next season”, said the minister of economy of Argentina, Sergio Massa. According to the minister, the government program will be focused on the planting of wheat and corn, and counts on the delivery of up to 5 tonnes of fertilizers per farmer, through an agreement with YPF Agro. (Ministry of Economy; YPF Agro)
There are 33 legal projects with the objective of restricting the use of pesticides in Mexico. According to the Association for the Protection of Crops, Science and Technology – PROCCYT, if these products are banned, the economic losses could reach US$ 23.92 billion, because of the decrease in agricultural yields, that would drop by 137 million tonnes. “I see a very good intention to increase food production in Mexico through sustainable agriculture. This is very good, but the way it is being done is not adequate”, said Roberto Soto, president of PROCCYT. Soto said that, in cases like glyphosate, although two years were given to gradually reduce the use of the product, so far it has not been possible to find a substitute product. (PROCCYT)
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