Crop Protection and Nutrition – Weekly Update Brazil & Latin America (11/27/25 – 12/03/25)

In compliance with court decisions, Anvisa approves toxicological evaluation of chlorantraniliprole (Rainbow); clothianidin (CHDS); profenofos + lambda-cyhalothrin (Meghmani); and glufosinate-ammonium salt (Somax). (DOU, Res No. 4814 – 4817 from 11/27/2025, Anvisa)

The Federal Supreme Court resumed the trial of Direct Actions of Unconstitutionality No. 5553 and 7755, which challenge the validity of tax incentives for pesticides. The reporting justice, Edson Fachin, voted to strike down the tax exemptions as unconstitutional, while Justice André Mendonça proposed preserving part of the incentives, subject to a 180-day review. Justices Cristiano Zanin, Luiz Fux and Dias Toffoli voted to entirely dismiss the actions and Justice Cármen Lúcia followed the reporting justice’s opinion. In light of the split within the Plenary, the trial was once again suspended and there is still no final decision on the future of tax benefits granted to pesticides. (Official Gazette of Brazil, Decisions from 12/02/2025, Federal Supreme Court)

Anvisa publishes the voluntary withdrawal of toxicological evaluation of abamectin + hexythiazox (Biorisk). (Dou, Resolution No. 4820 from 11/27/2025, Anvisa)

Petrobras has postponed the completion of the Nitrogen Fertilizer Unit 3 (UFN-3) in Três Lagoas, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, to 2029. With an estimated investment of US$ 650 million, the plant is expected to produce around 1.2 million tonnes of urea and 70 thousand tonnes of ammonia per year, strengthening fertilizer supply in Brazil’s Center-South region. (Petrobras)

Brazil’s fertilizer market is expected to end 2025 with consumption between 46 and 46.5 million tonnes, a 3% to 4% increase over the previous year, but below the initial 48-million-tonne forecast, according to Yara. The company notes a shift away from urea and ammonium phosphate toward cheaper, less concentrated sources such as ammonium sulfate, triple superphosphate and lower-solubility products, which may compromise yields if quality is poor. For 2026, Yara forecasts a 4% to 5% rise in demand and is betting on low-carbon fertilizers, highlighting coffee-sector partnerships and plans to extend this portfolio to corn, barley and sugarcane. (Yara Fertilizantes)

The Agriculture Committee of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies has approved Legislative Decree Bill 312/2025, which suspends Ordinance No. 805/2025 of the Ministry of Agriculture establishing the National Pesticide Traceability Program. According to rapporteur Congressman Rodolfo Nogueira, the rule imposes excessive costs on the farm sector and was adopted without proper impact assessment, calling it “illegal” and “premature.” The Bill will still be examined by the Constitution and Justice Committee and is subject to a final vote. (Agência Câmara Notícias)

Ceará’s Secretariat for the Environment and Climate Change, the Ceará State Environmental Agency and the Ceará Agricultural Defense Agency are discussing the creation of a pesticides working group. The objective is to revise and update state legislation to align it with Federal rules, strengthen enforcement and integrate data through the Pesticide Registration System, which will become the State’s main registration platform, gradually replacing the Natuur system and increasing transparency and regulatory control. (Government of Ceará; Sema, Semace; Adagri)

Brazil showcased at an international symposium in South Korea its recent changes to pesticide legislation and the new legal framework for bioinputs, according to the Secretary of Agricultural Defense, Carlos Goulart. He stressed that the new pesticide law reinforces Brazil’s tripartite model with a stronger focus on risk assessment and transparency. The Bioinputs Law creates a broad system for next-generation biological products and allows a single product to perform multiple functions. Goulart noted that 49% of Brazilian farmers already use some type of bioinput and that the decree regulating the new law is in its final drafting stage. (Ministry of Agriculture)

A 58-year-old man was arrested in the act by the Roraima Civil Police, suspected of taking part in a criminal group that stole and sold agricultural inputs in the Apuruí region, in Caracaraí. During the execution of three search warrants, officers seized mineral salt, cattle feed diverted from a local farm and a 20-gauge shotgun; the suspect admitted having received the goods knowing they were stolen and was charged with receiving stolen property and illegal possession of a firearm, while investigations continue to identify other participants in the scheme. (Civil Police)

Lavoro announced that Marcelo Pessanha will take over, on December 1st, 2025, as head of its Brazilian agricultural input distribution operation, in the context of the company’s court-supervised out-of-court restructuring, approved on November 25th. The leadership transition, which marks the departure of former CEO Ruy Cunha, was planned during the restructuring process and aims to reinforce processes, efficiency and value creation, supporting a return to growth in a more stable environment. (Lavoro Agro)

Corteva plans to rebrand its seed division as SpinCo in 2026, following strong global growth and nearly 80% higher seed sales in Latin America in the third quarter of 2025. In Brazil, the strategy relies on a network of around 170 seed multipliers, including Uniggel, which operates 180,000 hectares, produces 2.5 million bags of soybean seed per season and maintains quality standards above 92% germination through rigorous testing and temperature-controlled storage. (Corteva; Uniggel)

Brazil’s bioinputs market continues to expand, even amid a global slowdown in the segment, driven by rising pest pressure, growing resistance to chemical products, high fertilizer costs and scientific advances in agricultural microbiology, according to Marcelo de Godoy Oliveira, president of the Brazilian Association of Bioinputs Industries. With more than 400 manufacturers and thousands of on-farm biofactories, Brazil is consolidating its leadership in biological products, increasing exports and heading for market consolidation by 2035, when only the most technically solid companies should remain. (Abinbio)

Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation has updated, after 25 years, its planting fertilization recommendation for dwarf cashew, cutting fertilizer and lime costs by around 70% (from US$ 98 to R$ 26/ha at 8 x 8 m plant spacing) with no loss in plant development. The new protocol reduces phosphate and micronutrient doses, removes lime from the planting hole, strengthens environmental sustainability and is being field-validated in five municipalities in the State of Ceará. (Embrapa)

Brazilian nematologists have described a new genus and species of foliar nematode, Monteironema caresi, found in leaves of Ipomoea cairica and I. syringifolia (morning glory) on the Federal University of Viçosa campus, in the State of Minas Gerais. The nematode did not fit any known Anguinidae genus and, based on morphological and molecular analyses, was proposed as a new genus named in honor of Ailton Rocha Monteiro and Juvenil Enrique Cares, highlighting the role of integrative taxonomy and Brazilian research in understanding plant-parasitic nematodes. (Universidade Federal de Viçosa)

The 6th Corn Technical Meeting, organized by Fundação MT, highlighted how the “Bioinputs Era” is reshaping crop input strategies in Brazil’s Midwest, with growing adoption of bioinputs and biological products in plant health management. At SLC Agrícola, 17.7% of planned crop protection inputs in the latest season are already biologicals, with a target of up to 25% in corn in 2025/26, supported by intensive research on compatibility, strain performance and product quality, strengthening integrated pest management and driving more efficient use of agrochemicals and fertilizers. (Fundação MT)

Researcher Ana Eugênia de Carvalho Campos, from São Paulo’s Instituto Biológico, was internationally recognized as one of the “pioneers” of myrmecology in the book “Brazilian Myrmecology: Exploring the World’s Richest Ant Fauna”, which highlights her key work on urban and invasive ants of agricultural relevance, as well as her leadership role at one of Brazil’s most important agricultural research institutes. (Instituto Biológico)