Crop Protection and Nutrition – Weekly Update Brazil & Latin America (01/09/24 – 01/15/25)

According to the Foreign Trade Secretariat, Fertilizer imports by Brazil in 2024 reached a new record, totaling 44.34 million tonnes, a 8.1% increase when compared to 2023. The price of fertilizer imports by Brazil fell for the second consecutive year in 2024, both in dollars and in Brazilian currency. According to the National Association for Fertilizer Diffusion, fertilizer deliveries to the Brazilian market reached 4.99 million tonnes in October of 2024, a growth of 5.8% when compared to October of 2023. From January to October, the total was 37.87 million tonnes, a slight drop of 0.9% when compared to the 38.22 million tonnes reached in the same period in 2023. The State of Mato Grosso was the leader in fertilizer deliveries, with 20.3% of the total volume, or 7.68 million tonnes. (Comex; ANDA)

Mosaic Fertilizers and Fosfatados Centro SPE Ltda. announced on January 13^th an agreement for the sale and purchase of a phosphate mine located in Patos de Minas, State of Minas Gerais. According to Karen Swager, executive vice president of operations at Mosaic, “we believe the full value of the asset will be completely realized in the capable hands of Fosfatados Centro. We are grateful to our employees who have dedicated themselves to the ongoing maintenance of this asset over the years”. (The Mosaic Company)

Lavoro has just announced a partnership with Alper Seguros to sell its agricultural insurance products. The Alper Agro division has already insured more than 14 thousand agricultural machines and more than two million hectares. It has more than US$ 9.83 billion in managed assets. (Lavoro Agro)

Embrapa’s Coffee Unit published “Integrated management of pests and diseases of conilon and robusta coffee”. The aim is to present in detail the main pests and diseases that affect Coffeea canephora farming in Brazil, and also to provide information on the biology and recommendations for the IPM of phytosanitary problems in coffee. (Embrapa)

Civil Police of the State of Minas Gerais concluded that the employee of the company 4 Folhas, Wagner Orlandelli Martin, aged 37, died of food poisoning by ingesting pesticides. It happened in January of 2024, in the city of Patrocínio, during a company barbecue. Another five people were hospitalized with serious symptoms. The conclusion of the investigation happened on 01/13/2025. According to the police, the presence of terbufos, an organophosphate, was identified in the victims’ bodies. (Minas Gerais Civil Police)

Department of Border Operations has seized smuggled pesticides, valued at US$ 662 thousand, in Aral Moreira, State of Mato Grosso. The seizure took place on January 4^th and the driver was arrested at the scene. 1,130 L and 2,800 kg of pesticides were seized in gallons and bags. (Military Police)

According to an article by the firm Martins Zanchet – Advocacia Ambiental, the new Pesticides Law (Law No. 14785/2023) “simplifies registrations, encourages biological products and reinforces inspections in the sector. Companies should adapt to the new requirements for traceability, safety and sustainability, taking advantage of opportunities for innovation and competitiveness”. (Martins Zanchet – Environmental Law)

The National Union of the Plant Protection Products Industry – Sindiveg launched the first episode of the content series “Talking to the specialist” aiming to demystify the agricultural pesticides sector in Brazil. Available on the entity’s social networks, the video addresses the topic “Caution and first aid when using pesticides” with an interview with the medical doctor, M.Sc. in Toxicology from the University of São Paulo, and president of the Brazilian Center for Toxicology and Health, Sérgio Graff. (Sindiveg)

A bulletin from the State of Pernambuco’s Health Department indicated that 108,198 notifications of suspected cases of exogenous poisoning were registered between 2013 and 2023 in the State. Of the total, 9.9% were caused by pesticides, or 10,740 cases. The city with the most pesticide poisoning cases was Recife, with 43.7% of the total. (Pernambuco Health Department)

Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, met on January 10^th with the Executive Director of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company – ADNOC, Khaled Salmeen, to discuss investment opportunities in the fertilizer and gas sectors in Brazil. “We are working to reduce dependence on fertilizer imports, strengthening Brazilian agribusiness, generating foreign exchange and more opportunities for Brazilians”, said Silveira. (MME)

Federal Supreme Court will only resume judging cases after February 3^rd. Among the discussions on the agenda, the policy of tax exemptions for pesticides is the subject of debate and there is no date set for judgment so far. The Direct Unconstitutionality Action 5553, filed by the Socialism and Freedom Party (PSOL), questions rules established by Agreement 100/1997 of the National Council for Financial Policy, which reduce the ICMS (tax rate on the circulation of goods) over pesticides by 60%. The Ministry of Agriculture states that the end of tax exemptions for these products will increase food prices. (MAPA; Senado Notícias)

On January 7^th, some pesticide gallons, which fell into the Tocantins River after the collapse of the Juscelino Kubitschek de Oliveira Bridge, were removed. These are just 20 of the 20 thousand L that fell into the river. The removal was carried out by divers hired by Sumitomo, responsible for the cargo. The work is monitored by Ibama’s Environmental Emergency team. Despite advances, there is no forecast for the end of operations. According to Ibama, the canisters contained three types of pesticides. CARNADINE (acetamiprid); PIQUE 240SL (picloram); TRACTOR (picloram + 2,4-D triethanolamine). (Sumitomo; Ibama)

Algae collected from beach sand are transformed into liquid fertilizers by researchers from the Federal Institute of Education, Science and Technology of the State of Espírito Santo. According to researchers, the algae have bio-stimulating effects, enabling better functioning of stomata and leaf senescence, in addition to optimizing the photosynthetic capacity of plants. (IFES)

Petrobras stated on January 13th that it is still evaluating, together with Unigel, its fertilizer factory contracts. The company reinforced that “there is a forecast of resumption of activities in the fertilizer segments, aiming to capture value with the production and sale of nitrogen products”. Currently, Petrobras has three relevant nitrogen fertilizer factories: Fafen-PR, Fafen-BA and Fafen-SE, all of which are inactive. (Petrobras)

In situations of high temperatures (above 30ºC), low humidity (below 50%) and strong winds (above 10km/h), in addition to wind speeds below 3km/h, the application of pesticides is not recommended, as those conditions are conducive to evaporation and drift, and can alter the trajectory of the droplets in relation to the target. Pesticide applications should be carried out, preferably, in the early hours of the morning or at the end of the day, according to researchers Tiago Guazzelli, Marconi Furtado, Victor Lopes, Paulo Forastiere. (UFOB)

Potássio do Brasil received two water resources operation licenses (grant for the use of water resources) from the Institute of Environmental Protection of the State of Amazonas for the Potássio Autazes Project, the largest potash fertilizer project in Brazil. These licenses authorize the company to operate two deep-water wells that will provide drinking water for the construction and operational phases of the project and advance installation licenses previously granted for construction. These wells will provide enough fresh water for the processing plant’s needs. These licenses mark the first step of project operations. (Potássio do Brasil)

Ithamar Prada leaves the position of vice president of marketing and innovation at ICL and takes over as CEO at BioWorld, a bioinputs company, with the objective of reaching revenues of US$ 14.75 million in 2025. (BioWorld)

Syngenta launched 15 “technology hubs” in the main farming regions of Brazil. The hubs offer demonstration fields for phytosanitary technologies, such as insecticides, fungicides and biologicals, etc. According to Aimar Pedrini, director of technical development at Syngenta, the facilities provide practical interaction with innovations adapted to specific crops and regional demands, such as soybean, corn, coffee and cotton. (Syngenta)

According to Franklin Almeida, fertilizer consultant at Coopercitrus, the bioinputs market in Brazil grew 15% in 2023/24 when compared to the previous season, reaching approximately US$ 819 million. Bioinputs, which include pest and disease control, inoculants, biostimulants and solubilizers, have stood out as a sustainable and efficient solution for agricultural management. In Brazil, the market has grown at an annual average of 21% in the last three years, a pace four times higher than the global average. The State of Mato Grosso remains the national leader in the use of bioinputs, accounting for a third of total demand. (Coopercitrus; CropLife)