Government Has Updated Regulations on Bioinputs in Argentina
Brazil
Biotrop announces Ricardo Hendges as new marketing director. An agronomist with over 20 years of experience in agribusiness, Hendges will be tasked with strengthening the brand’s presence, boosting results and strengthening relationships with the market. (Biotrop Biological Solutions)
CropLife launches a new step of Good Agricultural Practices Campaign, focusing on the relationship between agriculture and pollinators. The presence of bees in agricultural environments can help boost crop yields, playing a key role in maintaining the ecosystem. According to Claudia Quaglierini, Manager of Sustainability, Biodiversity and Good Practices at CropLife Brasil, farmers play a decisive role in mitigating associated risks. (CropLife Brasil)
Fex Agro projects 62% growth in 2025. The Brazilian agricultural input market faces a period of uncertainty, marked with high costs and commodity prices below previous years. Still, Fex Agro maintains a positive outlook and forecasts revenue of US$ 40.25 million in 2025. (Fex Agro)
Soybean production costs in the State of Mato Grosso for the 2025/26 season rose 0.19% in June compared to May. The increase was driven by crop protection costs, which reached US$ 214,70 per hectare, 1.28% higher than the previous month. (IMEA)
In 2024, Brazil imported approximately US$ 5 billion in crop protection products, with 18.2% of that value coming from the U.S. Key imports included glyphosate technical and atrazine technical. The U.S. accounted for 57.8% and 39.7% of atrazine and glyphosate imports to Brazil, respectively. While China remains Brazil’s main supplier of agrochemicals, the U.S. holds a strategic position, especially in critical molecules. (Grupo Central Campo)
State Agency for Agricultural Defense of Maranhão fined three commercial establishments and seized 73 liters of pesticides that were being sold illegally. Of particular note was a serious case in which a merchant in São João do Carú was found to be using empty pesticide packages to store artisanal cachaça. (AGED)
Spray fungicides 30 days after soybean emergence does not guarantee productivity increase. This was the conclusion of a network of 20 experiments conducted across Brazil during the 2024/25 crop season. In 82% of comparisons between treated and untreated areas, there was no statistically significant difference in yield. Results were presented by researcher Carlos Utiamada of Tagro Tecnologia Agropecuária at the 2025 Brazilian Soybean Congress. (Embrapa; Tagro)
According to Jorge Dias, director of Agrofito Insumos Agrícolas, the agricultural input distribution chain is undergoing an “aggressive, fast, and unpredictable upheaval,” rendering former strategic roadmaps obsolete. Traditional companies are downsizing, shifting business models, or exiting the market. “Default rates have surged, and many distributors are burdened by debts from previous seasons. Meanwhile, capital markets have shut their doors to new investments, and exports face external taxes and U.S. trade barriers.” (Agrofito)
After ten years, BNDES Participações S.A., a wholly owned subsidiary of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), approved its first equity investment operation, aligned with the strategy of supporting the green economy and innovation. Approximately US$ 20.39 million were invested in Santa Clara Group, a company based in Ribeirão Preto, in the State of São Paulo, that develops specialty fertilizers and bioinputs. “The arrival of BNDES allows us to continue implementing our Business Plan, with its focus on research, development and innovation – which are the core of Santa Clara’s DNA, a national brand that allocates 8% of its annual revenue to R&D,” said Santa Clara Group CEO João Pedro Cury. (BNDES; Santa Clara Group)
Imports through the ports of the State of Paraná increased by 3.7%, from 12,519,108 tonnes in the 1H of 2024 to 12,976,714 tonnes in 2025. Fertilizers led the volume, with 5,251,240 tonnes unloaded. (Ports of Paraná)
Production and use of microorganisms in agriculture are effective, safe and beneficial, including on-farm fermented bioinputs, provided validated protocols are followed, said Reginaldo Minaré, executive director of the Brazilian Bioinput Association. “The Bioinput Law also allows on-farm production from native microorganism communities.” (ABBINS)
Petrobras’ resumption of investments in hydrogen-based fertilizer plants to reduce significantly Brazil’s dependence on imported inputs in this sector. According to company president Magda Chambriard, the operation of four plants located in the States of Paraná, Bahia, Sergipe, and Mato Grosso do Sul is projected to meet 35% of the country’s demand for urea-based fertilizers by 2028. “Agribusiness and the petroleum sector are increasingly merging. Fertilizer is a great opportunity for us to expand our gas market,” said Chambriard. Petrobras’ investment in these facilities totals approximately US$ 161 million for 2025 to 2029. According to Chambriard, the projects are generating between 13,000 and 15,000 jobs. (Petrobras)
Bacterial consortium in corn cultivation increases productivity and reduces costs associated with nitrogen fertilizers. At the campus of São Paulo State University in Dracena, researchers are studying the use of microorganisms that can reduce environmental impacts in the field without compromising agricultural yields. Advances in soil microbiology have made Brazil a global reference in replacing chemical inputs with sustainable alternatives. (Unesp)
State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (Semad) has completed its analysis of water samples from the Córrego das Pombas stream, which was contaminated by fertilizer from a truck that crashed on Afonso Pena Avenue in Itumbiara, in the State of Goiás. The analysis found high levels of phosphorus at a point in the stream immediately after the accident. The nutrient can result in the uncontrolled growth of algae, reduce water oxygenation and cause fish mortality. It can also cause the growth of blue algae capable of releasing toxins. Semad forwarded the results to the Municipal Environment Agency of Itumbiara. (Semad)
Geological Survey of Brazil has launched an interactive panel entitled “Mineral Resources Report – Assessment of Brazil’s Agromineral Potential: State of São Paulo – Phase I.” The initiative aims to identify, map, and characterize sources of agromineral fertilizers, with a focus on soil remineralizers. (SGB)
Granfos Fertilizantes, an NPK fertilizer company based in Toledo, in the State of Paraná, completed its first issuance of Agribusiness Receivables Certificates, totaling US$ 9.84 million. (Granfos Fertilizantes)
Brazilian fertilizer imports totaled 19.41 million tonnes between January and June 2025, a volume 9.29% higher than in the same period last year. The increase in imports is occurring despite price volatility and global supply restrictions, driven by constant demand from agribusiness. “The demand for agricultural inputs continues to expand, especially in countries such as Brazil, where the productive sector is anticipating the 2025/26 harvest with positive production projections,” according to a report by the National Supply Company (Conab).
Coopercitrus, alongside four partners, will inaugurate a fertilizer plant in August. With US$ 21.48 million, the enterprise is expected to generate revenues of up to US$ 89.45 million by 2027. (Coopercitrus)
Naval Fertilizantes aims to reach 140 franchises and generate US$ 37.56 million in revenue through national expansion in 2025. Naval’s franchise model is designed to attract entrepreneurs with a technical-commercial profile and strong ties to agribusiness. Currently, the company operates 11 units located in the States of Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Goiás, and Pará. (Naval Fertilizantes)
CropLife held a workshop on Intellectual Property (IP) in partnership with the Daniel Law firm. “The aim was to explain what is intellectual property and how it is present in our daily lives, beyond agriculture. It is a way to introduce this subject, explain the importance of IP, and help people begin to understand how it is present in agriculture,” said Maria Luiza Barros da Silveira, lawyer and IP leader at CropLife. (CropLife Brazil)
Secondary sanctions against Russia, advocated by NATO and US leaders, could impose tariffs of up to 100% on Russian products and threaten fertilizer supplies to Brazil, which imports 86% of its synthetic inputs, a third of which come from Russia, according to Anderson Nacaxe, CEO of Oken.Finance. (Oken.Finance)
Bioinputs market in Brazil to exceed US$ 1.65 billion by the end of the decade, having biofungicides, bionematicides and bioinsecticides already accounting for over 80% of the biopesticides used in the country. (ANPII Bio)
Brazil is expected to import 9.102 million tonnes of fertilizers between July 1st and 21th. The Port of Paranaguá leads the way with 2.577 million tonnes, followed by Santos with 2.138 million, considering ships anchored, waiting, and expected to arrive by September 25th. (Williams Brasil)
Anvisa published the voluntary withdrawal of pesticide toxicological evaluation processes for 3 products from Cropchem; 2 from Basf; 2 from Syngenta; 1 from FMC; and 1 from ISK Biosciences. (DOU, Resolution No. 2811 of 07/24/2025, Anvisa)
MAPA published the authorization for the leave abroad of the public servant Rogerio Pereira da Silva, serving as Head of the Regional Minor Crops Service, under the General Coordination of Pesticides and Related Products, Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs, Secretariat of Agricultural Defense, to participate in the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, to be held in Santiago, Republic of Chile, from September 6th to 14th, 2025. (Official Gazette of the Union, Dispatches of 07/24/2025, MAPA)
Brazilian market for specialty fertilizers reached US$ 4.8 billion in 2024, driven by the use of potassium carbonate, which enhances photosynthesis and plant resistance, according to Anderson Lopes, CEO of Katrium. Marcio Remédio, from the Geological Survey of Brazil, states that the country aims to reduce its dependence on imported potassium from 97% to 48% by 2050, producing in the State of Sergipe and the Amazon Basin. (Katrium; SGB-CPRM)
Latin America
New phase of corn leafhopper monitoring will start in 14 provinces in Argentina, with more than 500 active traps. Between May 2024 and June 2025, 21 biweekly reports were issued that aided in management and prevented a decline in planted area. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Professor of Eco-Toxicology at the Catholic University of Córdoba, Dr. Fernando Manera, warned at the Mercosur Agricultural Aviation Congress that ag pesticides account for less than 2% of chemical poisoning in Argentina, while household products such as repellents, bleaches, and cosmetics cause much more invisible risks. He criticized the lack of education and oversight, emphasizing that the danger lies in the incorrect use of chemicals and that the highest incidence of cancer occurs in cities, not in rural areas. (UCC)
Specialists from the Rosario Stock Exchange point out soybean productivity’s stagnation in central Argentina is not caused solely by genetics, but by factors such as low fertilization, physical and chemical problems with the soil, and limited use of technologies. Rodolfo Rossi and Matías De Felipe highlight the lack of nutrient replenishment, especially phosphorus and sulphur. (BCR)
María Beatriz “Pilu” Giraudo, former vice-president of INTA, will be the new president of Argentina‘s National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service, replacing Pablo Cortese, who resigned after 33 years at the agency. (Senasa)
Calice and Puna Bio have signed a partnership in Argentina to integrate artificial intelligence and bioinputs, combining Calice’s Nodes digital platform with Puna Bio’s microorganisms, with the aim of accelerating the development of sustainable solutions for agriculture, reducing field tests and creating scalable technologies for global markets. (Calice; Puna Bio)
Government has updated regulations on bioinputs in Argentina, which redefines the concept of these products and restructures the Advisory Committee on Bioinputs for Agricultural Use, now made up of representatives from the National Institute of Agricultural Technology, the National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service, INTI, Conicet, the Ministry of Health and chambers in the sector. The products have been classified into three groups: nutritional, biological control and agro-industrial. (Resolution 128/2025. INTA; Senasa)
Government of Colombia has signed confidentiality agreements to study the purchase of Monómeros, a Venezuelan company responsible for 12.5% of the fertilizer market, but which posted a loss of more than US$ 19.2 million in 2023 and a 4.49% drop in revenue in 2024. Analysts warn of tax risks and US sanctions, while Ecopetrol, if bought, would have to take on debt. Monómeros, controlled by Pequiven, competes with leaders such as Yara and supplies 248,000 of the 2 million tonnes per year in the Colombian market. (Ministry of Agriculture; Ministry of Mines and Energy)
Mexico‘s National Service for Agrifood Health, Safety, and Quality and the Graduate College have signed a framework agreement to strengthen research and innovation in the control of agricultural pests and diseases in the country. (Senasica)
First measurement of the environmental footprint of citrus farming in Uruguay showed positive results, with emissions of 0.17 kg of CO₂ and water consumption of 0.28 m³ per kilogram of fruit in the field phase. The study, led by María Inés Cabot with support from INIA, the Union of Fruit Farmers and Exporters of Uruguay, and the Agricultural Technology Promotion Fund, identified fertilizers as one of the main environmental hotspots, both in terms of production and emissions generated during application. (INIA; Upefruy)
Oilseed Technology Council, the Honorary Commission for the Development of Beekeeping, and Uruguay‘s Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture, and Fisheries recommend the responsible use of phytosanitary products on canola and Indian mustard (Brassica carinata), especially during flowering, to protect pollinators and increase productivity by up to 30%. Products authorized by the General Directorate of Agricultural Services, preferably applied at dusk, such as novaluron, lufenuron, chlorantraniliprole, flubendiamide, and spirotetramat, are recommended for effective pest control without harming bees. (MGAP)
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