\n
Brazil<\/h3>\n\n\nInstituto Mineiro de Agropecu\u00e1ria is investigating the\u00a0death of more than 15 million bees\u00a0at\u00a0a farm<\/strong>\u00a0in the district of Miraporanga, in Uberl\u00e2ndia, State of Minas Gerais. The cause is suspected to have been the improper use of pesticides. Losses were estimated at US$\u00a086\u00a0thousand.\u00a0Samples of bees\u00a0will be analyzed at the Waste and Pesticides Analysis Laboratory in Belo Horizonte.\u00a0(IMA)<\/p>\nResearchers from University of S\u00e3o Paulo and the Federal University of Vi\u00e7osa have developed\u00a0a sensor made of cellulose acetate, capable of monitoring pesticide levels directly on the surface of vegetables.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cElectrochemical sensors can combine savings, fast detection, miniaturization, large-scale production, convenience, practicality, high selectivity and on-site detection of pesticides, allowing analysis directly on the surface and leaves of vegetables…\u201d, according to Paulo Pereira , research coordinator.\u00a0(USP; UFV)<\/p>\nSML is\u00a0investing US$ 10 million to enter the Brazilian market.<\/strong>\u00a0Half of the amount was used to\u00a0acquire\u00a0assets, such as pesticide registrations. The other half will be used to hire employees. According to Vitor Raposo, president of the company in Brazil, the opening of factories in the country is still out of the question, at least for the next five years.\u00a0(SML Limited)<\/p>\nAlexandre Ricardo Alves<\/strong>\u00a0is the new director of Mosaic Biosciences in Brazil.\u00a0(The Mosaic Company)<\/p>\nBernard Appy, the extraordinary secretary of the tax reform (Constitutional Amendment Proposal\u00a0No. 45\/2019), said the reform should create jobs and promote business. Even so, for products with health and environmental risks, the Selective Tax will result in increased prices. The inclusion of pesticides, however, will still be discussed in a complementary law. To facilitate the approval of the tax reform, the\u00a0government agreed to exclude\u00a0agricultural inputs\u00a0from the Selective Tax, including pesticides, which benefit from a 60% cheaper value-added tax<\/strong>\u00a0(VAT).\u00a0Tax Reform should be enacted this week, in a session of the National Congress. Proposal was approved on December 15th<\/sup>\u00a0by the Chamber of Deputies, the Brazilian Lower House of Congress.\u00a0(Ag\u00eancia Senado)<\/p>\nFederal Supreme Court will analyse the\u00a0Direct Action of Unconstitutionality No. 5553, which questions the\u00a0tax exemption for pesticides.<\/strong>\u00a0This is scheduled to\u00a0be concluded\u00a0by February\u00a02nd<\/sup>\u00a0of 2024. The analysis had been suspended on October\u00a030th<\/sup>, because of a request from minister Carmen L\u00facia.\u00a0(STF)<\/p>\nBrazilian Institute for Consumer Protection – IDEC points out \u201cscientific gaps\u201d in Anvisa’s report about\u00a0pesticide residues in food. \u201cThe methodology does not assess the risks for children under 10 years, it does not point to conclusions about risks associated with the consumption of food with more than one type of pesticide detected, that is, the\u00a0cocktail effect of mixing pesticides in food is not being addressed by Anvisa’s report<\/strong>\u201d, according to a note from IDEC.\u00a0(IDEC)<\/p>\nGlyphosate and its salts; 2,4-D; atrazine; mancozeb; and acephate were the 5\u00a0most sold\u00a0pesticide active ingredients in Brazil in 2022, respectively, according to a recently released report by Ibama.\u00a0Almost<\/strong>\u00a0383 thousand tonnes of glyphosate were sold<\/strong>, much\u00a0more\u00a0than the 101 tonnes sold of 2,4-D. Majority of pesticide sales happened in the Central-West region of the country, which recorded 292.8 thousand tonnes sold in 2022, most in the State of Mato Grosso.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\nThais Clemente, vice-president of agrochemicals at the\u00a0Brazilian Association of Fine Chemical Industries,\u00a0said\u00a0pesticide smuggling has become one of the biggest public safety problems in Brazil<\/strong>, representing a serious risk to the health of the population, who might end up consuming food contaminated with irregular products. \u201cGangs usually sell stolen pesticides to intermediaries, who pass them on to farmers, and there are cases in which products are adulterated to increase profits\u201d, said Clemente during a meeting of the National Council to Combat Piracy and Crimes against Intellectual Property.\u00a0(Abifina)<\/p>\nAccording to Welles Pascoal, CEO of AgroGalaxy,\u00a02023 was a\u00a0year marked by high\u00a0agro-input inventories<\/strong>, and also by price adjustments for fertilizers.\u00a0\u201cAll the work we did until the 2Q of 2023 and during part of the 3Q was to\u00a0equalize our old inventory, with the return of part of our inventory to our suppliers, in addition to working on the pricing issues\u201d, said Pascoal. \u201cThe year was not one of growth in terms of volume, of course there was progress, but it was much more focused on profitability than volume…\u201d\u00a0(AgroGalaxy)<\/p>\n3tentos and Caramuru announced the creation of a\u00a0JV<\/strong>, with planned investments of US$ 81 million until 2028 to develop logistics and storage structures in the Arco Norte region [ports in the North and Northeast that are close to large\u00a0agricultural areas]. Each of the companies will own 50% of the\u00a0JV. \u201cWith this operation, we will be able to transport our products more efficiently, bringing operational gains for logistics and storage\u201d, said the CEO of 3tentos, Luiz Dumoncel.\u00a0(3tentos; Caramuru)<\/p>\nBBF – Brasil BioFuels, active in palm cultivation and biofuel production,\u00a0has developed a composting process<\/strong>\u00a0at scale in the State of Par\u00e1, using industrial by-products, transforming waste from the palm oil extraction process into organic fertilizers. Area built for composting is 25 thousand m2<\/sup>, with capacity to process up to 90 thousand tonnes of organic compost per year, enough\u00a0to fertilize\u00a03 thousand hectares of palm.\u00a0(BBF)<\/p>\nAccording to Roberto Ara\u00fajo, director of Croplife Brasil, the results reported by Anvisa about pesticide residues in food, in which 25% of the samples were non-compliant, do not mean that the population is at high risk of poisoning. \u201cSamples with residues above the\u00a0MRL\u00a0do not necessarily represent a potential risk to human health\u201d, said Ara\u00fajo.\u00a0Another example of non-compliance could be the detection of pesticide residues in organic products<\/strong>, which, according to Ara\u00fajo, is \u201ca misleading practice, but which does not pose a risk to human health\u201d.\u00a0(Croplife Brasil)<\/p>\nIbama seized two agricultural aircraft and fined companies for irregular use of pesticides<\/strong>\u00a0in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Fines imposed totaled US$\u00a0138,438\u00a0and eight companies were notified, and are required to present documentation for analysis.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\nWith the decrease in prices of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds, the amount of resources needed to finance soybean in 2023\/24 in the State of Mato Grosso fell to US$ 10.22 billion, 16% lower when compared to 2022\/23.\u00a0Money spent on fertilizers and soil conditioners fell 25.5%.<\/strong>\u00a0Average expenses fell to US$ 836.55\/ha, below the US$ 995.98\/ha of 2022\/23, but still much higher when compared to previous seasons.\u00a0(IMEA)<\/p>\nUnigel now\u00a0has\u00a060 days of protection from creditors.<\/strong>\u00a0In financial difficulties, the company had its first request for protection denied, but appealed and was granted urgent relief by the 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0Bankruptcy and Judicial Reorganization Court of the Court of Justice of the State of S\u00e3o Paulo. \u201cThis seeks to promote a solution to this crisis through an extrajudicial negotiation between the debtor and its creditors… If the negotiation is successful, judicial recovery [a court-supervised process that allows insolvent companies to suspend debts and negotiate new terms for them]\u00a0could be avoided\u201d, said the judge Paulo de Oliveira Filho.\u00a0(Justice Court of S\u00e3o Paulo)<\/p>\nMinistry of Science, Technology and Innovation allocated\u00a0US$ 67.73 million to expand fertilizer production in the State of Bahia<\/strong>, through a contract signed by the minister of science, Luciana Santos, with the company Fosnor, which received this value in the form of credit. The company will explore primary phosphate from the city of Irec\u00ea.\u00a0(MCTI)<\/p>\nCenter of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition will be\u00a0built in the Technological Park of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and should begin operating in 2025. This is estimated to\u00a0create 300 direct jobs, through\u00a0an\u00a0investment of US$ 60.84 million.<\/strong>\u00a0This value includes a contribution of US$ 7.1 million by the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The rest of the resources will come from the Federal Government.\u00a0(UFRJ; Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro)<\/p>\nFarmers are\u00a0more aware\u00a0about the\u00a0pesticide packaging issues<\/strong>, said Marcelo Okamura, director\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0National Institute of Empty Packaging Processing. It\u00a0is the legal responsibility of the farmers to return the\u00a0pesticide packages, as well as to perform the triple washing of the material. Farmers must also deliver packages to the collection points indicated on the products. \u201cWe need to increase every year the capacity to reach all small farmers who use phytosanitary products, shortening the distance they need to travel to collection centers\u201d, said Okamura.\u00a0(inpEV)<\/p>\n32 gallons of 20 L of paraquat from Argentina were seized<\/strong> by the Federal Road Police on the BR-116 national highway, in the State of Paran\u00e1. (PRF)<\/p>\nDrought in Brazil affects sales of fertilizers for\u00a0off-season\u00a0corn. According to Guilherme Schmitz, director of market development at Yara, until the beginning of December,\u00a0farmers had purchased only 60% of the estimated needs for fertilizers in the States of Paran\u00e1 and Mato Grosso do Sul<\/strong>.\u00a0In general,\u00a0by\u00a0this time of year, farmers would have already purchased 80% of their need\u00a0for fertilizers.\u00a0(Yara International)<\/p>\nThere is not enough scientific basis to recommend remineralizers<\/strong>\u00a0(silicate agrominerals) as a source of nutrients in agriculture, especially for potassium, or as soil conditioners, according to the researcher Vinicius Benites, from Embrapa.\u00a0(Embrapa Solos)<\/p>\nFertilizer Purchasing Power Index closed at 0.95 in November of 2023, a drop of 8% when compared to October. The lower the index, the better the exchange ratio for the farmers. The improvement was driven by the reduction in fertilizer prices, which showed an average decline of 3% compared to October.\u00a0Decrease was led by urea, which showed a reduction of 12%.<\/strong>\u00a0Potassium chloride fell 4%, while monoammonium phosphate prices rose approximately 2% and superphosphate prices remained stable.\u00a0(The Mosaic Company)<\/p>\nAccording to Luciane Balzan, biostimulants manager at UPL Brasil, the use of physioactivators\u00a0can help mitigate environmental impacts.<\/strong> \u201cThe use of physioactivators has emerged as a fundamental strategy to minimize the effects caused by environmental stress on crops. The technique involves the application of hormonal precursors (via seeds or leaves), which stimulate plants to produce, in a natural and balanced way, essential hormones so that they express their maximum potential\u201d, said Balzan. \u201cThe market for specialty fertilizers \u2013 which includes physioactivators \u2013 is on the rise. In 2022, it grew 33%\u201d. (UPL Brasil)<\/p>\n\u201cThis is a project that has already been\u00a0under review\u00a0for 24 years in the National Congress,\u201d said Eduardo Le\u00e3o, executive president of CropLife Brasil, about the Pesticides Bill No. 1459\/2022. According to Le\u00e3o,\u00a0the approval of new molecules in Brazil takes approximately seven years<\/strong>, while the waiting time in other countries is much shorter. \u201cThe great benefit that this project will bring is to make the system more efficient and to speed up approval. No company today will launch any product that is less sustainable, less selective\u201d.\u00a0(Croplife Brasil)<\/p>\n\u201cGlyphosate is the most used herbicide in the world and also in Brazil. Reducing its use and that of other agrochemicals is a trend for Agriculture 5.0, which seeks more sustainable practices\u201d, said Jairo de Oliveira, researcher at the Federal University of Esp\u00edrito Santo. Oliveira coordinates a\u00a0project that aims to develop methods to quantify, reduce and\u00a0stop the use of\u00a0glyphosate from agriculture.<\/strong>\u00a0(UFES)<\/p>\nCentro Universit\u00e1rio Integrado announced the\u00a0creation of an MBA focused on agribusiness<\/strong>, with teaching staff made up of executives from Bayer, Syngenta, Basf, Case, Agrivalle, UPL, Helm, etc.\u00a0(Centro Universit\u00e1rio Integrado)<\/p>\nBrazil has imported 405.26 thousand tonnes of technical pesticide products in 2022, and 283.3 thousand tonnes of formulated products.\u00a0Local production of technical products reached 124.1 thousand tonnes<\/strong>, compared to 664.4 thousand tonnes of formulated products.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\nInnospec Inc. has completed the\u00a0acquisition of QGP Qu\u00edmica Geral<\/strong>, a specialty chemicals and agrochemicals company based in Brazil.\u00a0Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. (Innospec Inc.)<\/p>\nDuring the 2022\/23 season, the\u00a0adoption of biostimulants for coffee nutrition increased by an average of 20%<\/strong>\u00a0in the States of Bahia, Esp\u00edrito Santo and Rond\u00f4nia. \u201cThe three\u00a0States\u00a0still remain below the national average, which is driven by S\u00e3o Paulo and Minas Gerais, and that show an adoption of 30% of the area. This regional growth, however, signals that there is significant potential for the expansion of this form of control\u201d, said Lucas Montrasio, a specialist at Kynetec.\u00a0(Kynetec Brasil)<\/p>\nHelm plans to enter the special fertilizers market in Brazil from 2024\/25.<\/strong> \u201cDespite the potential, the plant nutrition and biostimulants market in Brazil is still fragmented and poorly consolidated. What we are bringing is a perspective of stability, with all the know-how of a family company that is 123 years old\u201d, said Helm’s vice-president of crop protection in Brazil, Sebastian Lueth. (Helm do Brasil)<\/p>\nPower Generation Company of the State of Paran\u00e1 – Copel\u00a0should invest approximately US$ 620 million to build a pilot plant for the production of low-carbon hydrogen made from biomass \u2013 organic waste, waste, sugarcane bagasse, etc. Hydrogen will be used as an input to manufacture ammonia and urea. \u201cOur objective is to\u00a0develop compact and modular equipment that can be used on small and medium-sized properties, allowing for distributed production of hydrogen, ammonia and urea<\/strong>\u201d, said Fabio Sevscuec, research manager at the company.\u00a0(Copel)<\/p>\nAgrion has opened up a fertilizer factory<\/strong>\u00a0in the State of Minas Gerais. This required an investment of US$ 6.16 million and is the first of 20 that could begin operating by 2033.\u00a0(Agrion)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\n\nLatin America<\/h3>\n\n\nAccording to Don Powa, director of\u00a0Democracia en Red, an\u00a0NGO from\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>,\u00a021.62% of people tested in the Mar Chiquita region had glyphosate in the urine.<\/strong>\u00a0According to Powa, in Mar Chiquita an ordinance has been in force since 2020 that establishes that the application of pesticides cannot be carried out within 200 m of rural schools and 25 m of watercourses, among other parameters. \u201cI am not in a position to say yes or no to agrochemicals, in a binary manner. I look for realistic and possible solutions. A comprehensive view on this subject is necessary,\u201d said Powa.\u00a0(Democracia en Red)<\/p>\n\u201cPlastic from\u00a0pesticide packages<\/strong>, as it is of very high quality, often ends up being reused inappropriately. In other words, this plastic can end up used in an ice cream spoon, in a toy or in a supermarket bag\u201d, said Juan Manuel Medina, Institutional Relations manager at CampoLimpio\u00a0in\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>. \u201cToday we have a big competitor, which is the illegal plastic trade\u201d, said Medina.\u00a0(CampoLimpio)<\/p>\nResearchers at the National University of Quilmes, in\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>, have developed a powder product that\u00a0performs\u00a0the decontamination of water and food containing pesticides, through a process known as bioremediation. \u201cWe found organisms capable of degrading certain pesticides, mainly glyphosate. As it is the most used herbicide in our country… we work on the development of enzymatic systems for the bioremediation of contaminated water and food”, said Lorena Rojas, project director.\u00a0(UNQ)<\/p>\nInvestment of\u00a0US$ 6.24 million will be made for the manufacturing of\u00a0green fertilizers<\/strong>\u00a0in La Araucan\u00eda,\u00a0Chile<\/strong>. \u201cThe impact is enormous if we think that the region could go from producing cereals to producing green inputs for agriculture, contributing to the decarbonization of the local agricultural sector”, said Eduardo Figueroa, regional director of the Production Development Corporation in Araucan\u00eda.\u00a0(Corfo)<\/p>\nPresident of the agricultural inputs company Agripac and honorary consul of the United Kingdom in Guayaquil,\u00a0Ecuador, was kidnapped.<\/strong>\u00a0Agripac is one of the most important agricultural inputs companies in the country, with 176 stores, operating in the market of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs.\u00a0(National Police of Ecuador)<\/p>\nA black market for glyphosate is close to emerging in\u00a0Mexico<\/strong>, said Luis Cepeda, president of the Mexican Union of Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators. After 04\/01\/2024, by presidential decree, glyphosate should not be sold anymore in the country. In Cepeda’s opinion, Mexican farmers are not prepared for this, and losses in crops such as corn could reach 30%. “The president said he instructed the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies to look for alternatives to replace glyphosate, but those don’t exist… If farmers need glyphosate, they will get it… Then we will have smuggling affecting the network of commercialization of agrochemicals throughout the country”. (UMFFAAC<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Instituto Mineiro de Agropecu\u00e1ria is investigating the\u00a0death of more than 15 million bees\u00a0at\u00a0a farm<\/strong>\u00a0in the district of Miraporanga, in Uberl\u00e2ndia, State of Minas Gerais. The cause is suspected to have been the improper use of pesticides. Losses were estimated at US$\u00a086\u00a0thousand.\u00a0Samples of bees\u00a0will be analyzed at the Waste and Pesticides Analysis Laboratory in Belo Horizonte.\u00a0(IMA)<\/p>\n Researchers from University of S\u00e3o Paulo and the Federal University of Vi\u00e7osa have developed\u00a0a sensor made of cellulose acetate, capable of monitoring pesticide levels directly on the surface of vegetables.<\/strong>\u00a0\u201cElectrochemical sensors can combine savings, fast detection, miniaturization, large-scale production, convenience, practicality, high selectivity and on-site detection of pesticides, allowing analysis directly on the surface and leaves of vegetables…\u201d, according to Paulo Pereira , research coordinator.\u00a0(USP; UFV)<\/p>\n SML is\u00a0investing US$ 10 million to enter the Brazilian market.<\/strong>\u00a0Half of the amount was used to\u00a0acquire\u00a0assets, such as pesticide registrations. The other half will be used to hire employees. According to Vitor Raposo, president of the company in Brazil, the opening of factories in the country is still out of the question, at least for the next five years.\u00a0(SML Limited)<\/p>\n Alexandre Ricardo Alves<\/strong>\u00a0is the new director of Mosaic Biosciences in Brazil.\u00a0(The Mosaic Company)<\/p>\n Bernard Appy, the extraordinary secretary of the tax reform (Constitutional Amendment Proposal\u00a0No. 45\/2019), said the reform should create jobs and promote business. Even so, for products with health and environmental risks, the Selective Tax will result in increased prices. The inclusion of pesticides, however, will still be discussed in a complementary law. To facilitate the approval of the tax reform, the\u00a0government agreed to exclude\u00a0agricultural inputs\u00a0from the Selective Tax, including pesticides, which benefit from a 60% cheaper value-added tax<\/strong>\u00a0(VAT).\u00a0Tax Reform should be enacted this week, in a session of the National Congress. Proposal was approved on December 15th<\/sup>\u00a0by the Chamber of Deputies, the Brazilian Lower House of Congress.\u00a0(Ag\u00eancia Senado)<\/p>\n Federal Supreme Court will analyse the\u00a0Direct Action of Unconstitutionality No. 5553, which questions the\u00a0tax exemption for pesticides.<\/strong>\u00a0This is scheduled to\u00a0be concluded\u00a0by February\u00a02nd<\/sup>\u00a0of 2024. The analysis had been suspended on October\u00a030th<\/sup>, because of a request from minister Carmen L\u00facia.\u00a0(STF)<\/p>\n Brazilian Institute for Consumer Protection – IDEC points out \u201cscientific gaps\u201d in Anvisa’s report about\u00a0pesticide residues in food. \u201cThe methodology does not assess the risks for children under 10 years, it does not point to conclusions about risks associated with the consumption of food with more than one type of pesticide detected, that is, the\u00a0cocktail effect of mixing pesticides in food is not being addressed by Anvisa’s report<\/strong>\u201d, according to a note from IDEC.\u00a0(IDEC)<\/p>\n Glyphosate and its salts; 2,4-D; atrazine; mancozeb; and acephate were the 5\u00a0most sold\u00a0pesticide active ingredients in Brazil in 2022, respectively, according to a recently released report by Ibama.\u00a0Almost<\/strong>\u00a0383 thousand tonnes of glyphosate were sold<\/strong>, much\u00a0more\u00a0than the 101 tonnes sold of 2,4-D. Majority of pesticide sales happened in the Central-West region of the country, which recorded 292.8 thousand tonnes sold in 2022, most in the State of Mato Grosso.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\n Thais Clemente, vice-president of agrochemicals at the\u00a0Brazilian Association of Fine Chemical Industries,\u00a0said\u00a0pesticide smuggling has become one of the biggest public safety problems in Brazil<\/strong>, representing a serious risk to the health of the population, who might end up consuming food contaminated with irregular products. \u201cGangs usually sell stolen pesticides to intermediaries, who pass them on to farmers, and there are cases in which products are adulterated to increase profits\u201d, said Clemente during a meeting of the National Council to Combat Piracy and Crimes against Intellectual Property.\u00a0(Abifina)<\/p>\n According to Welles Pascoal, CEO of AgroGalaxy,\u00a02023 was a\u00a0year marked by high\u00a0agro-input inventories<\/strong>, and also by price adjustments for fertilizers.\u00a0\u201cAll the work we did until the 2Q of 2023 and during part of the 3Q was to\u00a0equalize our old inventory, with the return of part of our inventory to our suppliers, in addition to working on the pricing issues\u201d, said Pascoal. \u201cThe year was not one of growth in terms of volume, of course there was progress, but it was much more focused on profitability than volume…\u201d\u00a0(AgroGalaxy)<\/p>\n 3tentos and Caramuru announced the creation of a\u00a0JV<\/strong>, with planned investments of US$ 81 million until 2028 to develop logistics and storage structures in the Arco Norte region [ports in the North and Northeast that are close to large\u00a0agricultural areas]. Each of the companies will own 50% of the\u00a0JV. \u201cWith this operation, we will be able to transport our products more efficiently, bringing operational gains for logistics and storage\u201d, said the CEO of 3tentos, Luiz Dumoncel.\u00a0(3tentos; Caramuru)<\/p>\n BBF – Brasil BioFuels, active in palm cultivation and biofuel production,\u00a0has developed a composting process<\/strong>\u00a0at scale in the State of Par\u00e1, using industrial by-products, transforming waste from the palm oil extraction process into organic fertilizers. Area built for composting is 25 thousand m2<\/sup>, with capacity to process up to 90 thousand tonnes of organic compost per year, enough\u00a0to fertilize\u00a03 thousand hectares of palm.\u00a0(BBF)<\/p>\n According to Roberto Ara\u00fajo, director of Croplife Brasil, the results reported by Anvisa about pesticide residues in food, in which 25% of the samples were non-compliant, do not mean that the population is at high risk of poisoning. \u201cSamples with residues above the\u00a0MRL\u00a0do not necessarily represent a potential risk to human health\u201d, said Ara\u00fajo.\u00a0Another example of non-compliance could be the detection of pesticide residues in organic products<\/strong>, which, according to Ara\u00fajo, is \u201ca misleading practice, but which does not pose a risk to human health\u201d.\u00a0(Croplife Brasil)<\/p>\n Ibama seized two agricultural aircraft and fined companies for irregular use of pesticides<\/strong>\u00a0in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Fines imposed totaled US$\u00a0138,438\u00a0and eight companies were notified, and are required to present documentation for analysis.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\n With the decrease in prices of fertilizers, pesticides and seeds, the amount of resources needed to finance soybean in 2023\/24 in the State of Mato Grosso fell to US$ 10.22 billion, 16% lower when compared to 2022\/23.\u00a0Money spent on fertilizers and soil conditioners fell 25.5%.<\/strong>\u00a0Average expenses fell to US$ 836.55\/ha, below the US$ 995.98\/ha of 2022\/23, but still much higher when compared to previous seasons.\u00a0(IMEA)<\/p>\n Unigel now\u00a0has\u00a060 days of protection from creditors.<\/strong>\u00a0In financial difficulties, the company had its first request for protection denied, but appealed and was granted urgent relief by the 2nd<\/sup>\u00a0Bankruptcy and Judicial Reorganization Court of the Court of Justice of the State of S\u00e3o Paulo. \u201cThis seeks to promote a solution to this crisis through an extrajudicial negotiation between the debtor and its creditors… If the negotiation is successful, judicial recovery [a court-supervised process that allows insolvent companies to suspend debts and negotiate new terms for them]\u00a0could be avoided\u201d, said the judge Paulo de Oliveira Filho.\u00a0(Justice Court of S\u00e3o Paulo)<\/p>\n Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation allocated\u00a0US$ 67.73 million to expand fertilizer production in the State of Bahia<\/strong>, through a contract signed by the minister of science, Luciana Santos, with the company Fosnor, which received this value in the form of credit. The company will explore primary phosphate from the city of Irec\u00ea.\u00a0(MCTI)<\/p>\n Center of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition will be\u00a0built in the Technological Park of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, and should begin operating in 2025. This is estimated to\u00a0create 300 direct jobs, through\u00a0an\u00a0investment of US$ 60.84 million.<\/strong>\u00a0This value includes a contribution of US$ 7.1 million by the government of the State of Rio de Janeiro. The rest of the resources will come from the Federal Government.\u00a0(UFRJ; Government of the State of Rio de Janeiro)<\/p>\n Farmers are\u00a0more aware\u00a0about the\u00a0pesticide packaging issues<\/strong>, said Marcelo Okamura, director\u00a0at\u00a0the\u00a0National Institute of Empty Packaging Processing. It\u00a0is the legal responsibility of the farmers to return the\u00a0pesticide packages, as well as to perform the triple washing of the material. Farmers must also deliver packages to the collection points indicated on the products. \u201cWe need to increase every year the capacity to reach all small farmers who use phytosanitary products, shortening the distance they need to travel to collection centers\u201d, said Okamura.\u00a0(inpEV)<\/p>\n 32 gallons of 20 L of paraquat from Argentina were seized<\/strong> by the Federal Road Police on the BR-116 national highway, in the State of Paran\u00e1. (PRF)<\/p>\n Drought in Brazil affects sales of fertilizers for\u00a0off-season\u00a0corn. According to Guilherme Schmitz, director of market development at Yara, until the beginning of December,\u00a0farmers had purchased only 60% of the estimated needs for fertilizers in the States of Paran\u00e1 and Mato Grosso do Sul<\/strong>.\u00a0In general,\u00a0by\u00a0this time of year, farmers would have already purchased 80% of their need\u00a0for fertilizers.\u00a0(Yara International)<\/p>\n There is not enough scientific basis to recommend remineralizers<\/strong>\u00a0(silicate agrominerals) as a source of nutrients in agriculture, especially for potassium, or as soil conditioners, according to the researcher Vinicius Benites, from Embrapa.\u00a0(Embrapa Solos)<\/p>\n Fertilizer Purchasing Power Index closed at 0.95 in November of 2023, a drop of 8% when compared to October. The lower the index, the better the exchange ratio for the farmers. The improvement was driven by the reduction in fertilizer prices, which showed an average decline of 3% compared to October.\u00a0Decrease was led by urea, which showed a reduction of 12%.<\/strong>\u00a0Potassium chloride fell 4%, while monoammonium phosphate prices rose approximately 2% and superphosphate prices remained stable.\u00a0(The Mosaic Company)<\/p>\n According to Luciane Balzan, biostimulants manager at UPL Brasil, the use of physioactivators\u00a0can help mitigate environmental impacts.<\/strong> \u201cThe use of physioactivators has emerged as a fundamental strategy to minimize the effects caused by environmental stress on crops. The technique involves the application of hormonal precursors (via seeds or leaves), which stimulate plants to produce, in a natural and balanced way, essential hormones so that they express their maximum potential\u201d, said Balzan. \u201cThe market for specialty fertilizers \u2013 which includes physioactivators \u2013 is on the rise. In 2022, it grew 33%\u201d. (UPL Brasil)<\/p>\n \u201cThis is a project that has already been\u00a0under review\u00a0for 24 years in the National Congress,\u201d said Eduardo Le\u00e3o, executive president of CropLife Brasil, about the Pesticides Bill No. 1459\/2022. According to Le\u00e3o,\u00a0the approval of new molecules in Brazil takes approximately seven years<\/strong>, while the waiting time in other countries is much shorter. \u201cThe great benefit that this project will bring is to make the system more efficient and to speed up approval. No company today will launch any product that is less sustainable, less selective\u201d.\u00a0(Croplife Brasil)<\/p>\n \u201cGlyphosate is the most used herbicide in the world and also in Brazil. Reducing its use and that of other agrochemicals is a trend for Agriculture 5.0, which seeks more sustainable practices\u201d, said Jairo de Oliveira, researcher at the Federal University of Esp\u00edrito Santo. Oliveira coordinates a\u00a0project that aims to develop methods to quantify, reduce and\u00a0stop the use of\u00a0glyphosate from agriculture.<\/strong>\u00a0(UFES)<\/p>\n Centro Universit\u00e1rio Integrado announced the\u00a0creation of an MBA focused on agribusiness<\/strong>, with teaching staff made up of executives from Bayer, Syngenta, Basf, Case, Agrivalle, UPL, Helm, etc.\u00a0(Centro Universit\u00e1rio Integrado)<\/p>\n Brazil has imported 405.26 thousand tonnes of technical pesticide products in 2022, and 283.3 thousand tonnes of formulated products.\u00a0Local production of technical products reached 124.1 thousand tonnes<\/strong>, compared to 664.4 thousand tonnes of formulated products.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\n Innospec Inc. has completed the\u00a0acquisition of QGP Qu\u00edmica Geral<\/strong>, a specialty chemicals and agrochemicals company based in Brazil.\u00a0Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. (Innospec Inc.)<\/p>\n During the 2022\/23 season, the\u00a0adoption of biostimulants for coffee nutrition increased by an average of 20%<\/strong>\u00a0in the States of Bahia, Esp\u00edrito Santo and Rond\u00f4nia. \u201cThe three\u00a0States\u00a0still remain below the national average, which is driven by S\u00e3o Paulo and Minas Gerais, and that show an adoption of 30% of the area. This regional growth, however, signals that there is significant potential for the expansion of this form of control\u201d, said Lucas Montrasio, a specialist at Kynetec.\u00a0(Kynetec Brasil)<\/p>\n Helm plans to enter the special fertilizers market in Brazil from 2024\/25.<\/strong> \u201cDespite the potential, the plant nutrition and biostimulants market in Brazil is still fragmented and poorly consolidated. What we are bringing is a perspective of stability, with all the know-how of a family company that is 123 years old\u201d, said Helm’s vice-president of crop protection in Brazil, Sebastian Lueth. (Helm do Brasil)<\/p>\n Power Generation Company of the State of Paran\u00e1 – Copel\u00a0should invest approximately US$ 620 million to build a pilot plant for the production of low-carbon hydrogen made from biomass \u2013 organic waste, waste, sugarcane bagasse, etc. Hydrogen will be used as an input to manufacture ammonia and urea. \u201cOur objective is to\u00a0develop compact and modular equipment that can be used on small and medium-sized properties, allowing for distributed production of hydrogen, ammonia and urea<\/strong>\u201d, said Fabio Sevscuec, research manager at the company.\u00a0(Copel)<\/p>\n Agrion has opened up a fertilizer factory<\/strong>\u00a0in the State of Minas Gerais. This required an investment of US$ 6.16 million and is the first of 20 that could begin operating by 2033.\u00a0(Agrion)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n According to Don Powa, director of\u00a0Democracia en Red, an\u00a0NGO from\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>,\u00a021.62% of people tested in the Mar Chiquita region had glyphosate in the urine.<\/strong>\u00a0According to Powa, in Mar Chiquita an ordinance has been in force since 2020 that establishes that the application of pesticides cannot be carried out within 200 m of rural schools and 25 m of watercourses, among other parameters. \u201cI am not in a position to say yes or no to agrochemicals, in a binary manner. I look for realistic and possible solutions. A comprehensive view on this subject is necessary,\u201d said Powa.\u00a0(Democracia en Red)<\/p>\n \u201cPlastic from\u00a0pesticide packages<\/strong>, as it is of very high quality, often ends up being reused inappropriately. In other words, this plastic can end up used in an ice cream spoon, in a toy or in a supermarket bag\u201d, said Juan Manuel Medina, Institutional Relations manager at CampoLimpio\u00a0in\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>. \u201cToday we have a big competitor, which is the illegal plastic trade\u201d, said Medina.\u00a0(CampoLimpio)<\/p>\n Researchers at the National University of Quilmes, in\u00a0Argentina<\/strong>, have developed a powder product that\u00a0performs\u00a0the decontamination of water and food containing pesticides, through a process known as bioremediation. \u201cWe found organisms capable of degrading certain pesticides, mainly glyphosate. As it is the most used herbicide in our country… we work on the development of enzymatic systems for the bioremediation of contaminated water and food”, said Lorena Rojas, project director.\u00a0(UNQ)<\/p>\n Investment of\u00a0US$ 6.24 million will be made for the manufacturing of\u00a0green fertilizers<\/strong>\u00a0in La Araucan\u00eda,\u00a0Chile<\/strong>. \u201cThe impact is enormous if we think that the region could go from producing cereals to producing green inputs for agriculture, contributing to the decarbonization of the local agricultural sector”, said Eduardo Figueroa, regional director of the Production Development Corporation in Araucan\u00eda.\u00a0(Corfo)<\/p>\n President of the agricultural inputs company Agripac and honorary consul of the United Kingdom in Guayaquil,\u00a0Ecuador, was kidnapped.<\/strong>\u00a0Agripac is one of the most important agricultural inputs companies in the country, with 176 stores, operating in the market of seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and other inputs.\u00a0(National Police of Ecuador)<\/p>\n A black market for glyphosate is close to emerging in\u00a0Mexico<\/strong>, said Luis Cepeda, president of the Mexican Union of Pesticide Manufacturers and Formulators. After 04\/01\/2024, by presidential decree, glyphosate should not be sold anymore in the country. In Cepeda’s opinion, Mexican farmers are not prepared for this, and losses in crops such as corn could reach 30%. “The president said he instructed the National Council of Humanities, Sciences and Technologies to look for alternatives to replace glyphosate, but those don’t exist… If farmers need glyphosate, they will get it… Then we will have smuggling affecting the network of commercialization of agrochemicals throughout the country”. (UMFFAAC<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\nLatin America<\/h3>\n
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