Approval of pesticide registrations decreased in Brazil in 2023, after seven consecutive years of increases<\/strong><\/p>\n In compliance with a court decision<\/strong>, Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluation of the glufosinate – ammonium salt 200 g\/L SL herbicide from Alamos.\u00a0(Anvisa)<\/p>\n Vinicius Batista<\/strong>\u00a0is the new marketing director at FMC in Brazil.\u00a0(FMC Corporation)<\/p>\n In 2023, Ambipar\u00a0increased the production of organic fertilizers by 25%<\/strong>, reaching 500 thousand tonnes. \u201cWe have invested around US$ 8.16 million in the last 10 years to build our factories and now we are investing to add value to the fertilizers that we manufacture\u201d, said Gabriel Domingos, head of innovation. Ambipar has three organic fertilizer production facilities: one of them is part of the facilities of the paper manufacturing and exporting company Klabin, in the State of Paran\u00e1; the others are in the States of S\u00e3o Paulo and Santa Catarina, where the company has partnerships with the American companies\u00a0Sylvamo and WestRock.\u00a0(Ambipar)<\/p>\n William Weber<\/strong>\u00a0is Syngenta Seeds’ new marketing director for Brazil and Paraguay.\u00a0(Syngenta)<\/p>\n \u201cIncorporation of bio-promoters into hydroponic lettuce production has stood out as an innovative and promising practice, with the\u00a0potential to double production<\/strong>\u201d, according to Caio dos Santos, Harleson Monteiro and Sinara Brito, researchers from the Federal Rural University of Amaz\u00f4nia and the S\u00e3o Paulo State University. \u201cBy introducing bio-promoters into the hydroponic system, an environment conducive to the healthy development of lettuce plants is created\u201d.\u00a0(UFRA; Unesp)<\/p>\n Anvisa published\u00a0toxicological evaluation withdrawal requests<\/strong>\u00a0regarding the technical pesticide products quizalofop-P-ethyl\u00a0and azoxystrobin, from Nortox.\u00a0(Anvisa)<\/p>\n Campo Limpo System, managed by the National Institute of Empty Packaging Processing, has\u00a0disposed of 750 thousand tonnes of empty pesticide packages<\/strong>. In 2023, approximately 53 thousand tonnes of packaging were processed. \u201cThe program is a success story regarding circular economy\u201d, said the president Marcelo Okamura.\u00a0(inpEV)<\/p>\n Erich Duarte<\/strong>\u00a0is the new R&D director at Andermatt Brasil.\u00a0(Andermatt Group)<\/p>\n Fertilizer deliveries to the Brazilian market reached 4.71 million tonnes in October<\/strong>, an increase of 21.9% compared to the same month in 2022. During the first 10 months of 2023, the volume delivered reached 38.21 million tonnes, an increase of 12.5% when compared to 2022.\u00a0(National Association for Fertilizer Diffusion)<\/p>\n Mosaic plans to accelerate investments in Brazil in 2024. At the Taquari-Vassouras Industrial Complex, in Ros\u00e1rio do Catete, State of Sergipe, the company intends to\u00a0expand potash processing to 450 thousand tonnes in 2024<\/strong>, compared to 300 thousand tonnes in 2023. According to Eduardo Monteiro, Mosaic’s country manager in Brazil, the mixing unit in Palmirante, State of Tocantins, should reinforce operations in the States of Maranh\u00e3o, Tocantins, Piau\u00ed and Bahia, as it will facilitate the unloading of trucks and railway wagons, the storage of inputs and distribution of products. The Palmirante mixing unit\u00a0received an investment of US$ 82.16 million in 2023.\u00a0(The Mosaic Company)<\/p>\n After 01\/01\/2024, farmers from over 138 municipalities in the State of Rio Grande do Sul will need to take\u00a0a course to obtain permission to purchase and apply hormonal pesticides<\/strong>, totaling 209 municipalities covered to date. This is the third wave of municipalities that must comply with the rules of Normative Instructions 12 and 13, from the State of Rio Grande do Sul’s Department of Agriculture, which include new requirements for the application of herbicides such as 2,4-D and picloram. On 01\/01\/2025 and 01\/01\/2026, new municipalities will have to adapt to the rules.\u00a0(Seapi)<\/p>\n In 2023,\u00a0chemical imports were four times greater than exports<\/strong>. While Brazil imported US$ 56.7 billion from abroad, it exported only US$ 13.4 billion, which resulted in a deficit of US$ 43.3 billion in the trade balance. Prices charged by competing countries were on average 24.4% lower, which has been identified as a factor responsible for unbalancing the domestic market and threatening national manufacturing.\u00a0(Abiquim)<\/p>\n According to\u00a0the Brazilian Institute\u00a0of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources –\u00a0Ibama, the Institute’s role in controlling pesticides was preserved\u00a0<\/strong>due to the vetoes of President Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula da Silva, who sanctioned Law No. 14785\/23, derived from the Pesticide Bill No. 1459\/22, with 14 vetoes. \u201cOne of the vetoes was related to the removal of the powers of Ibama and the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) in analyzing the impacts of pesticides on the environment and human health, transferring the activity exclusively to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA). Currently, the competence of the analysis is tripartite, that is, each agency carries out the evaluation under its responsibility. If there is a veto from any of the three agencies, the product cannot be registered\u201d.\u00a0(Ibama)<\/p>\n Controlling greening is one of the main challenges for citrus farmers in Brazil and around the world. \u201cThe disease causes severe damage to the yield and quality of fruits\u201d, said Alberto Oliveira, specialist at Kynetec. \u201cRotation between different insecticide active ingredients<\/strong>\u00a0is one of the key points to prevent the growth of the resistant psyllid population. Such products reached 98% of the cultivated area in Brazil and generated US$ 55.59 million in the 2022\/23 orange season\u201d. According to Oliveira,\u00a0sales of insecticides to control the psyllid insect have increased 42%, compared to US$ 39.18 million in the\u00a0previous season.\u00a0(Kynetec\u00a0Brasil)<\/p>\n Delays in planting the 2023\/24 soybean crop and climate variations caused by El Ni\u00f1o have caused concern among farmers due to fungal diseases in crops, such as Asian soybean rust.\u00a0In addition to choosing the right fungicides, it is important to pay attention to the correct application intervals<\/strong>. Farmers should also adopt other control strategies, with good agricultural practices to provide a more favorable environment for the plants, soil and straw management to combat end-of-cycle diseases, and with proper care in handling foliar products and their respective compatibilities.\u00a0(Bayer)<\/p>\n According to Gustavo Shiomi, marketing manager at AgBiTech Brasil, the presence of the\u00a0Rachiplusia nu<\/em>\u00a0caterpillar in the States of Mato Grosso, Piau\u00ed and Tocantins is problematic. \u201cIt will be necessary to intensify monitoring and adopt effective control measures in these regions. It is a \u2018new\u2019, voracious species that attacks soybean crops with BT technology and compromises the farmer\u2019s management\u201d, he said. The caterpillar appears to be adapting to warmer climates, causing damage in previously unaffected regions. \u201cInsect traps allow the farmers to define the best time to control these pests<\/strong>, even before they lay eggs, multiply in the farms and cause significant damage to crops\u201d, according to Shiomi.\u00a0(AgBiTech Brasil)<\/p>\n It is estimated that\u00a0bioinputs reached between US$ 820 million and US$ 920 million in sales in 2023<\/strong>, compared to just over US$ 620 million in 2022. This can still be considered a small revenue when compared to the chemical pesticides market, but the tendency is for the difference to decrease. According to Eduardo Le\u00e3o, president of CropLife Brasil, by 2030 the revenue from biological products is expected to reach between US$ 3.28 billion and US$ 3.49 billion, driven by portfolio diversification and the growth of the agricultural area in which these products are applied, which reaches around 30% of the total. \u201cCurrently, the focus is on biopesticides, but we will also see progress in biofertilizers. Sales of biological products grew 60% in Brazil in the last four years, compared to a global average of 15%, and this pace should continue\u201d, said Le\u00e3o.\u00a0(Croplife Brasil)<\/p>\n Albaugh Brasil now has three commercial departments.<\/strong>\u00a0Breno Vieira is the director of Direct Sales for the Northern region. Daniel D\u00b4Andrea continues as commercial director for the Southern region, in addition to being in charge of Paraguay\u2019s business department. Jaime Hurtado assumed the newly created Commercial Directorate of Distribution of Central-North Brazil.\u00a0(Albaugh LLC)<\/p>\n Jos\u00e9 Zeferino Pedrozo, president of the Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of Santa Catarina, argues that Brazil should adopt policies\u00a0focused on self-sufficiency in relation to fertilizers, seeking to \u201creduce the level of exposure of the Brazilian economy to unpredictable and uncontrollable external factors\u201d.\u00a0Santa Catarina needs, annually, approximately 500 thousand tonnes of fertilizers, for 1.4 million hectares<\/strong>\u00a0of crops. Crops that most require fertilizers are soybeans, rice, wheat and corn, as well as fruits and vegetables. \u201cWe need to seek self-sufficiency in this area because global suppliers are few\u201d, said Pedrozo.\u00a0(Faesc)<\/p>\n Sanitation Company of the State of Minas Gerais – Copasa is producing\u00a0organic fertilizers using sludge generated by Sewage Treatment Stations<\/strong>\u00a0and waste from urban tree pruning. In addition to fertilizers being a sustainable alternative for agricultural and livestock production, the use of sludge can contribute to increasing the service life of landfills and also to reduce the cost of transporting sludge to landfills. \u201cIn the first stage, we used 300 tonnes of sludge to produce fertilizers. The product is still in the testing phase. For us to make it available to farmers, there is a new stage that consists of evaluating the behavior of the fertilizer in the soil and in different crops. Only after this research period \u2013 around two years of testing \u2013 can the product be licensed by the Ministry of Agriculture and then sold\u201d, said Copasa sanitary engineer, Frieda Keifer.\u00a0(Copasa)<\/p>\n Lavoro announced the acquisition of controlling interest of Coram<\/strong>\u00a0Com\u00e9rcio e Representa\u00e7\u00f5es Agr\u00edcolas, a pesticide dealer based in Ituverava, State of S\u00e3o Paulo, which has 10 stores in the States of S\u00e3o Paulo, Minas Gerais and Goi\u00e1s.\u00a0(Lavoro Agro)<\/p>\n On 12\/22\/2023, Petrobras published\u00a0a bidding notice to hire evaluation services for the construction of the UFN III fertilizer factory<\/strong>, located in Tr\u00eas Lagoas, State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Process provides for the acquisition of quantitative survey services to prepare the list of remaining materials, equipment and work required to complete the factory. \u201cIt is an important step in the commitment made by Petrobras after the announcement of construction resumption. This is a fundamental phase of quantification, cost assessment and redefinition of the schedule\u201d, said Jaime Verruck, secretary of state for the environment at Mato Grosso do Sul.\u00a0The deadline for submitting commercial proposals is until 01\/31\/2024.\u00a0(Semadesc)<\/p>\n Growth of 1 million tonnes in the fertilizer market in Brazil in 2024 was forecast.<\/strong>\u00a0Total delivery to farmers could reach a historic record of 46 million tonnes. According to Eduardo Monteiro, Mosaic’s country manager in Brazil, fertilizer prices are relatively cheap in the country, which may indicate an appropriate time for farmers to close deals. “Today, Brazil has the lowest fertilizer prices in the world”, said Monteiro.\u00a0(The Mosaic Company)<\/p>\n Paulo Ribeiro<\/strong>\u00a0is now responsible for Corteva’s commercial expansion in Latin America.\u00a0Tiago Contijo<\/strong>\u00a0is the company’s new commercial director of biological products for Latin America.\u00a0(Corteva Agriscience)<\/p>\n Director of the National Mining Agency, Caio M\u00e1rio Trivellato, announced the objective of actively seeking\u00a0to make potash extraction viable in the region of Autazes<\/strong>, State of Amazonas. \u201cIt is essential that we effectively change this behavior of great dependence on potassium imports. I will work intensely to make potash from Autazes viable, not just for the project, but so that Brazil does not depend so much on this resource externally\u201d, stated Trivellato.\u00a0(ANM)<\/p>\n According to Jeferson Souza, market analyst at Agrinvest Commodities,\u00a0there was an increase in fertilizer deliveries in 2023<\/strong>, especially phosphorus and potassium. “This happened because the exchange rate was much more favorable in 2023\/24 than in the previous season”, said Souza. “Analyzing the data by State, we can see that Bahia presented an increase of 21.9% in fertilizer deliveries compared to 2022, this being the biggest increase among the main\u00a0consumer States in Brazil. Next came the State of Paran\u00e1 , with a 20% increase in NPK deliveries compared to 2022. Finally, Mato Grosso, the biggest consumer State in Brazil, also recorded growth”.\u00a0(Agrinvest Commodities)<\/p>\n According to the\u00a0Brazilian Association of Fine Chemical, Biotechnology and Specialty Industries – Abifina,\u00a0the\u00a0New Pesticides Law “boosts agricultural modernization in Brazil”<\/strong>. According to the association, Brazil is advancing in the “modernization of agricultural legislation with the sanction of Law No. 14785, of 12\/27\/2023… This new law represents a milestone in the use of agricultural pesticides, aiming for greater agility and efficiency in the regulatory process.\u00a0(Abifina)<\/p>\n In the areas researched by Funda\u00e7\u00e3o MT (a private agricultural research company, based in Mato Grosso), environmental conditions are “not favorable to the occurrence of diseases” in soybeans, such as target spot, which is often a problem in the city of Sorriso, State of Mato Grosso. According to the researcher Daniela Costa,\u00a0there is a concern about Asian soybean rust<\/strong>\u00a0in later crop trials (beginning of November), especially in the southern region of the State.\u00a0(Funda\u00e7\u00e3o MT)<\/p>\n Roberto Rosa<\/strong>\u00a0is Lavoro’s new vice-president of supply chain, leaving his position as purchasing director.\u00a0(Lavoro Agro)<\/p>\n AgroGalaxy will receive US$ 38.50 million<\/strong>\u00a0from Multi Strategy Funds managed by Aqua Capital, the company’s controlling company. Of the total, US$ 7.78 million will come in the form of a loan from one of the funds and will be released at the beginning of January, while US$ 30.71 million will be contributed through Advance Instruments for Future Capital Increase.\u00a0(AgroGalaxy)<\/p>\n According to Pedro Urach Ferreira, application technology specialist at Spraytech, following\u00a0a “logical order when adding and mixing pesticides is essential to avoid some problems, such as physical and chemical incompatibility between products”<\/strong>. According to Ferreira, the quality and effectiveness of agricultural spraying does not only depend on the good calibration of the sprayer, the correct choice of spray tip or the pesticide product: one of the essential parameters is the correct mixing order of the pesticides that will be applied. Products mixed in the wrong order can cause problems such as the formation of crystals or “lumps” in the spraying solution, as well as settling at the bottom of the tank, excessive foam formation, etc.\u00a0(Spraytech)<\/p>\n
\nBrazil<\/h3>\n