Fábio Passos, Commercial Director for Soybean at Bayer Brasil
“There is strong demand for more modern, sustainable, efficient, and, above all, more productive solutions….”
Fábio Passos is Commercial Director for Soybean at Bayer Brasil. He holds a degree in Advertising from the Methodist University of São Paulo, a postgraduate degree in Marketing from ESPM (São Paulo School of Advertising and Marketing) and an MBA in Agribusiness Management from FGV (Getulio Vargas Fundation).
AgriBrasilis – What are the main demands of Brazilian soybean farmers?
Fábio Passos – Brazilian soybean farmers are among the most innovative, sustainable and demanding in the global agricultural sector. There is strong demand for more modern, sustainable, efficient, and, above all, more productive solutions. This constant pursuit of higher productivity and increased profitability is mainly reflected in more effective management solutions for pests, weeds and diseases. The advancement of soybean biotechnologies, combined with crop protection solutions and digital enhancements, enables Brazilian soybean farmers to achieve better crop management and helps ensure that Brazil remains the world’s largest soybean exporter.
AgriBrasilis – What factors compromise soybean competitiveness?
Fábio Passos – Pressure from pests and diseases, resistant weeds and climate instability represent some of the major challenges for Brazilian soybean production, directly affecting the competitiveness of the crop. These pressures occur especially in tropical agriculture, as high heat and humidity create ideal conditions for caterpillars, fungi and weeds, which is very different from temperate environments, such as the United States, for example. Other factors, such as global trade agreements and the cost of agricultural inputs, can also influence the competitiveness of soybeans at both the national and international levels.
AgriBrasilis – How are market needs identified for the development of new varieties?
Fábio Passos – In a country with tropical agriculture like Brazil, where challenges extend from planting to harvest, the market is constantly seeking solutions that address the specific needs of each farmer. To achieve this, years of study, investment and research are carried out, ranging from observing challenges in the field and engaging in conversations with farmers to the development of biotechnologies that meet the particular demands of each field.
Biotechnologies have revolutionized soybean cultivation in the country. Bayer is a global pioneer in the launch of biotechnologies and, as a market leader in the sector, has innovation as a strategic priority for the business, helping farmers overcome current and future agricultural challenges.
AgriBrasilis – Bayer is launching the fourth generation of genetically modified soybeans. Could you comment on the evolution of GM soybeans and their innovations?
Fábio Passos – Over the past three decades, soybeans have undergone significant biotechnological advances. In 1997, Roundup Ready (RR) was launched, offering tolerance to glyphosate and providing greater flexibility in weed management. In 2012, Intacta RR2 PRO delivered an unprecedented combination of productivity, protection against major caterpillar pests and continued tolerance to glyphosate. In 2021, Intacta2 Xtend expanded protection against caterpillars and enabled more flexible weed management through the use of Xtend herbicides based on dicamba, effective against hard-to-control weeds.
To understand the scale of the impact of biotechnologies on the Brazilian economy, a study by Agroconsult found that Intacta technology alone (IPRO and i2x) was responsible for adding 21.2 million tonnes to soybean production over the past 10 years. This reinforces that Bayer’s innovations in seeds, hybrids and biotechnologies help Brazilian farmers overcome numerous on-farm challenges.
The new generation of Intacta soybeans will represent another leap in innovation, addressing the main challenges faced by Brazilian soybean farmers. Intacta 5+ arrives as the first technology in Brazil to offer tolerance to five herbicides (mesotrione, dicamba, glyphosate, glufosinate and 2,4-D), protection against the main caterpillar species that affect the soybean cycle (including Rachiplusia nu, Spodoptera eridania and Elasmopalpus lignosellus) and a further increase in productivity driven by the unprecedented Yieldboost™, a gene introgression technology developed for the first time in Brazil.
AgriBrasilis – What are the stages, costs and timeline for launching a transgenic variety?
Fábio Passos – There is a rigorous process before a biotechnology reaches the market. This process ranges from genetic discovery, which involves identifying the desired traits for the plant, through field testing and studies with the new variety, to the development of seed varieties and their multiplication for commercial sale.
The development timeline can vary significantly depending on the complexity of the required tests and research, but it involves a high level of investment and often more than 10 years dedicated to researching a new technology.
In the case of Intacta 5+, the expectation is that the biotechnology will begin to be commercially introduced in Brazil starting in the next growing season, subject to international approvals and business decisions.
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