“Furthermore, the Bioinputs Law provides that farmers who produce bioinputs with microorganisms as active ingredients also…”
Marcos Rodrigues de Faria is a researcher at Embrapa’s Genetic Resources and Biotechnology Unit, with a degree in agronomy from UNB, a M.Sc. in entomology from the University of Florida and a Ph.D from Cornell University.
Since the end of 2024, biological products used to control pests are no longer classified as pesticides. From now on, both these products and many others of plant, animal or microbial origin will be governed by Law No. 15070/2024, known as the Bioinputs Law. The use of such products is authorized on farms, livestock properties, aquaculture and planted forests.
A much discussed topic during the processing of the Bill was the production of bioinputs for the farmers “own use”, popularly known as “on farm” production, the commercialization of which is prohibited. Although practiced in Brazil for several decades, the significant increase of the on-farm production of microorganisms occurred just over 10 years ago. At the time, there was a shortage of chemical products to control outbreaks of the Helicoverpa armigera caterpillar. Since then, many commodity farmers have started to use biological alternatives that, until then, had been adopted timidly, such as products based on viruses or the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). The good results observed in the crops encouraged several farmers to cultivate Bt bacteria and other beneficial microorganisms on their own farms.
Law No. 15070 establishes that, unlike bioinputs produced in commercial biofactories, those produced “on farm” are exempt from registration, with only the need for a simplified registration of production units, with the exception of those originating from family farming, which are also exempt from this requirement. Furthermore, production units must carry out quality control, following good practices to be established by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
Another point to be highlighted is that, in some circumstances, as may be the case with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, commercial bioinputs have very affordable prices and the on farm production of such bacteria is challenging and, therefore, production inside the farms is not really recommended.
In other cases, on farm preparations may result in savings if they are produced and used correctly and, therefore, it is necessary to carry out good planning of this activity, as it may involve the acquisition of expensive equipment and the hiring of skilled, specialized workers. In reality, the farmers end up with worries that they did not have before. For this reason, technically correct production, carried out by associations, cooperatives, agrarian condominiums or similar, provided for in the Bioinputs Law, sounds like an interesting alternative, for small farmers and even large-sized ones. These arrangements can allow for the gradual replacement of artisanal production, currently predominant, which, as a rule, adopt equipment and cultivation practices that do not favor the multiplication of specific microorganisms and can result, even if the risk has not yet been quantified, in the production of pathogenic bacteria to humans.
Bioinputs based on microorganisms can be very effective if they are of good quality and used correctly. The adoption of good genetic variants of microorganisms (called strains, isolates, lineages), as long as they are safe and effective, is a key factor for pest control, biological nitrogen fixation, nutrient solubilization, plant growth promotion, drought tolerance, etc.
The doses used must be adequate and the viability of the microorganisms must be preserved so that the expected result is achieved. In the case of microbial products that are sprayed, great care must be taken with the time of application, as they are very sensitive to solar radiation. Another precaution is with the practice that involves mixing with other products, as many microorganisms are affected by different types of agrochemicals.
Numerous topics of the new law will still have to be defined throughout its regulation, such as, for example, whether the Ministry of Agriculture will establish the need for qualified technical monitoring in production units. Furthermore, the Bioinputs Law provides that farmers who produce bioinputs with microorganisms as active ingredients also have, in addition to the use of commercial products registered for this purpose, the option of obtaining strains directly from collections of microorganisms accredited by the Ministry of Agriculture.
Brazil has more than 150 collections of microorganisms, public or private, some of which contain microorganisms for use in agriculture. It is expected that farmers will only be able to access duly identified strains whose safety and efficacy have been proven through robust and conclusive experimental trials. Law No. 15070 also provides for the use of financial mechanisms to encourage the production of bioinputs. However, the future of bioinputs depends on the quality of these products being one of the focuses of the law’s regulation. If everything is conducted satisfactorily, the use of bioinputs could be even more promising.
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