Crop Protection and Nutrition - Weekly Update Brazil & Latin America (10/03/24 – 10/09/24)

From 01/01/2022 to 10/07/2024, Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluation of 165 Chemical Formulated Pesticides in compliance with court decisions, 48 of which were in 2024. The 7 companies with most approvals reached 53.3% of the total, with highlights to Rainbow (25), Cropchem (20), Syncrom (10). Rainbow alone had 15% of the total number of approvals in compliance with court decisions in the period. (AllierBrasil)

On October 23^rd, Syngenta’s largest global product formulation technology center will be inaugurated in Paulínia, State of São Paulo. “Until 2018, the development of new products was carried out in Switzerland and England… In 2018, Syngenta decided to take development closer to its customers, and Brazil is a strategic location”, says Rodrigo Marques, head of engineering and product technology. The center received investments of approximately US$ 11.90 million and took 18 months to build. (Syngenta)

“It is common to hear that Brazil is the largest consumer of pesticides in the world. It is important to notice that we are a country with a tropical climate, with hot and humid conditions, more favorable for pests and diseases… A fair calculation must consider the amount of products used per cultivated area”, said Arthur Gomes, director of chemical pesticides at Croplife Brasil. (Croplife)

According to research performed by Adeney Bueno (Embrapa Soybean), Leonardo Roswadoski (Federal University of Paraná), and other researchers, a diet based on solid honey for feeding Telenomous podisi can reduce the mortality of the parasitoid, increasing the insect’s survival time, which makes the field release process more flexible. “The release of T. podisi inside food source capsules, as proposed here, is crucial to improving parasitoid performance in the management of stink bugs in soybean farms”. (Embrapa Soybean)

President of the Sugarcane Farmers Association of the State of Paraíba – Asplan said that there is still a lot of misinformation about pesticides in Brazil. “Tropical agriculture needs chemical pesticides and Brazil does not use products that are not approved in other countries because of any type of transgression… Europe, for example, has already approved new products that are more effective and Brazil cannot approve those because Ibama and Anvisa resist the approval of new molecules”, said José Inácio de Moraes, president of Asplan. (Asplan)

According to specialist Lucas Alves, from Kynetec, “there has been significant progress in the industrial treatment process [of soybean seeds], which reached half of the soybean farms in 2023/24”. In the 2014/15 season, only 31% of the seeds reached farms with industrial treatment carried out, while in 2023/24 the percentage increased to 51%. “The industrial model ensures precision in product doses, practical handling, and helps with the planting window”. (Kynetec Brasil)

There are 1023 bacteria with the potential to generate bioinputs for forestry, according to research performed by Embrapa Forests Unit. Since 2018, Embrapa has been working on building the Collection of Multifunctional Bacteria from Forest Areas. (Embrapa)

Fábio Forli is the new head of marketing at Gênica. He will also be responsible for the areas of portfolio, intelligence and market access, commercial excellence, market development and communication. (Gênica)

Suzano, the world’s biggest pulp mill, closed the 1H 2024 with 99.7% of solid waste generated in industrial operations reused and transformed into agricultural inputs at its unit in Três Lagoas, State of Mato Grosso do Sul. (Suzano)

Research performed by Matheus Cardoso de Castro, from the Acarology Laboratory at the State University of São Paulo, evaluated the effectiveness of acaricides to control the citrus leprosy mite (Brevipalpus phoenicis). “Previous work had shown that spray volumes between 100 and 180 mL/m³ of canopy resulted in the same control period. However, in this work, treatment with a spray volume of 180 mL/m³ was more effective after successive applications… It is recommended that, in regions with a history of the disease and with conditions that are more unfavorable to spraying, a larger spraying volume should be adopted”. (Unesp)

The 19^th Civil and Environmental Court of Goiânia, State of Goiás, has granted the request for Judicial Reorganization (similar to USA’s Chapter 11) made by the agrochemical inputs company AgroGalaxy. The decision ensures the necessary legal protection for the Company to maintain its operations, while negotiating commitments with its creditors. (19^th Civil and Environmental Court of Goiânia)

The Federation of Indigenous Peoples and Organizations of the State of Mato Grosso is against the Bill that seeks to reduce the distance for applying pesticides in areas around villages, springs and water sources in the State from 300 m to 25 m. “This law harms not only public health but it directly harms the health of the indigenous people of Mato Grosso”. (Fepoimt)

Deliveries of fertilizers reached the highest monthly level of the year in July, with 4.62 million tonnes, an increase of 3.2% compared to the same period last year, according to data from the National Association for the Diffusion of Fertilizers, published on October 3^rd. (ANDA)

To guarantee the health of citrus seedlings grown in the State of São Paulo, the Agricultural Defense Coordination of the Secretariat of Agriculture held a task force in September that inspected 32 nurseries. The action resulted in the suspension of 4 locations, notifications in another 25 and the seizure of 330 thousand seedlings. “The action, which involved, above all, health education for seedling nursery workers, will have new developments when we return to the nurseries to check whether the necessary adjustments have been made”, said Valentim Scalon, agronomist and manager of the State Program for Health of Plant Propagation Materials. (Department of Agriculture of São Paulo)

BASF, in partnership with the Technical Assistance and Rural Extension Company of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, has promoted a workshop on the appropriate use of pesticides for around 120 agricultural inspectors and rural extension agents (BASF; Emater-RS)

The Central Public Health Laboratory of the State of Piauí – Lacen-PI will perform analyzes and monitoring of pesticide contamination on food items and in the environment. According to the director of Lacen-PI, Fabrício Amaral, the laboratory has standardized, calibrated and validated equipment to analyze 2,4-D, malathion, atrazine, deltamethrin, and glyphosate. (Lacen-PI)

Vittia’s biological management project for coffee farming will be highlighted during the 9^th Quality Forum and 22^nd Alta Mogiana Quality Competition. “The reduction of residues in coffee farming allows for higher quality coffee beans”, highlights Jéssica Ferreira Silva, Project and Innovation Coordinator at Vittia. (Vittia)

Tereos has signed an agreement with Koppert for R&D of bioinputs. The contract, lasting three years, also provides for the continued supply of these inputs from Koppert to Tereos. (Koppert)

Possible end of tax exemption for ammonium nitrate, with an increase from 0% to 15%, will be analyzed at the Chamber of Foreign Trade on October 17^th. The demand for the tariff came from the Brazilian Chemical Industry Association, which argues that it should strengthen local industry. (Abiquim)

The National Association for the Promotion and Innovation of the Biological Industry has declared support for the creation of a regulatory framework that balances the interests of the industry and of farmers. “We believe that specific regulation for bioinputs is essential to guarantee the safety, quality and sustainability of these products in the farms. A fair regulatory framework can foster innovation and stimulate the sector’s growth”, said Júlia Emanuela de Souza, director of institutional relations at the association. (Anpii Bio)

In recent years, the increase of weeds in sugarcane farms has had severe impacts on yields. According to the consulting firm Kynetec, two invasive plants, castor bean (Ricinus communis) and mucuna (Mucuna spp.), were responsible for the infestation of 1.92 million hectares in 2023, compared to 1.34 million in 2020. This represents 25% of the total area with sugarcane in Brazil. “It is essential to keep the areas ‘clean’ [free of weeds] to guarantee an efficient harvest from an operational point of view, and to not have challenges with machines breaking down and with a loss of efficiency and time. Therefore, the use of herbicides is essential”, according to Tainá Sipos, sugarcane marketing leader at Corteva. (Corteva Agriscience; Kynetec Brasil)

According to a survey performed by the maritime agency Williams Brasil, the import of 10.306 million tonnes of fertilizers was scheduled from September 1^st to 30^th. Most of it should be unloaded through the port of Santos, State of São Paulo, which will receive approximately 2.641 million tonnes. The report takes into account ships that are already anchored, those offshore awaiting docking and those expected to arrive by December 22^nd. (Williams Brasil)

The Mosaic Company expects to end the year in Brazil with stable sales or even with an increase of up to 3% in volume, when compared to 2023, due to the prospects of an increase in planted area in the 2024/25 season. “The demand for fertilizers for the 2024/25 season is, generally speaking, in line with last year’s volumes. The expectation for this year’s sales is to repeat the volume or even to increase by 2% to 3%”, said the country manager Eduardo Monteiro. (The Mosaic Company)