Urea fertilizer sales in Bolivia reached US$ 228 million in 2022
Brazil
Act No. 8, published on February 28th, lists the deliberations of the Ministry of Agriculture related to pesticide registration, including the cancellation of the KLINNER product registration (No. 08620), cancellation of two registration requests, and two refusals. (General Coordination of Pesticides and Similar Products)
Vice-president of Brazil, Geraldo Alckmin, stated that he will assume the presidency of the National Council of Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition – Confert, created after a decree was signed by President Lula da Silva. Objective is to strengthen the national fertilizer industry and reduce Brazil’s dependence on imported inputs. “We are going to establish the council and I invited Minister Fávaro to work together”, said Alckmin. Management of Confert will be shared between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Development, Industry, Commerce and Services. (MDIC; MAPA)
FMC released business strategies to shareholders. The company declared focus on chlorantraniliprole, cyantraniliprole and fluindapyr. Fluindapyr was already comercially launched in Argentina and Paraguay, in 2022. In Brazil, eight formulated products based on fluindapyr are waiting for registration, four of which are from FMC. For technical products, two registration requests are waiting for approval, one from FMC and one from Isagro. (FMC; Ministry of Agriculture)
Mosaic will invest US$ 76.73 million in a fertilizer mixing, storage and distribution facility at the railroad terminal in Palmeirante, State of Tocantins. Operations should begin in 2025. In the first year, the factory is expected to manufacture 500 thousand tonnes of fertilizers, reaching 1 million tonnes/year in 2028. (Mosaic Fertilizantes)
Ernesto Hideki Fukushima is the new leader of integration Corteva – Stoller for Latin America. Acquisition of Stoller by Corteva was approved by the Administrative Council for Economic Defense – CADE on January 6th, 2023. The global integration process is being coordinated by Roberto Hun. (Corteva; Stoller)
One year after acquiring the Serra do Salitre Industrial Complex, in the State of Minas Gerais, EuroChem has completed 50% of the activities necessary for the second phase of the project, that consists of setting up chemical facilities for sulfuric and phosphoric acid. Work should be completed in the 1Q of 2024. The mine and saltpeter processing plant produce almost 400 thousand tonnes of phosphate concentrate/year. After completion of the second phase, production should reach 1 million tonnes of phosphate fertilizers/year. “Our production of phosphate fertilizers for the national market will represent 15% of domestic consumption”, says Gustavo Horbach, vice president of production in South America. (Eurochem)
Pesticide seizures increased more than 100% in 2022, compared to the previous year. According to the Federal Highway Police, the State of Rio Grande do Sul has become one of the main ports of entry for illegal pesticides in Brazil. States of Goiás and Mato Grosso do Sul also stand out. “Farmers that purchase illegal products unfortunately know what they are doing. They believe they are buying a more potent ingredient at a lower price, but that is not the case,” said Nilto Mendes, manager of the Committee to Combat Illegal Products at CropLife Brasil. (CLB; PRF)
ANVISA’s pesticide regulatory agenda for 2023: toxicological reassessments of the active ingredients epoxiconazole, thiophanate-methyl, chlorpyrifos and procymidone; changes in the regulation of phytochemicals and biologicals; pesticide advertising inspection project. (Anvisa)
Latin America
Urea fertilizer sales in Bolivia reached US$ 228 million in 2022. “The objective is to transform Bolivia into a fertilizer hub. We want to meet the demands of Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, and Peru…”, said Armin Dorgathen, president of the State-owned Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos. According to the Ministry of Hydrocarbons and Energy, there are plans to create another State-owned ammonia and urea factory, with an estimated investment of US$ 1.29 billion. (YPFB; MHE)
Standards and Trade Development Facility and the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture announce a project to promote the use of biopesticides in 12 Latin American countries. Investment will be approximately US$ 1.8 million. Objective is to meet international standards related to limits of pesticide residues in food, with a view to increasing exports. The project will last for three years and will be implemented in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. (STDF; IICA)
Argentine importers of phosphate fertilizers declare they are being harmed by the delay in obtaining import licenses. The country imports 100% of this input. “The logistical period between loading at the origin and shipment is starting to cause concern… In a context of import restrictions, the supply of ships to Argentina is not usually fast and abundant enough”, according to the consulting company IF Ingeniería en Fertilizantes. (IF Ingeniería en Fertilizantes)
Accident causes spillage of 24,000 liters of clethodim, that was being transported by truck in the region of Ituzaingó, Argentina. “Clethodim is a product that can cause a toxic cloud, affecting people with weakened respiratory systems,” said Francisco Dadic, a doctor at Durand Hospital. City Hall of Ituzaingó declared an environmental and health emergency. (Senasa; Ituzaingó City Hall)
In Ocuituco, Mexico, fertilizers will be delivered to over 10,000 farmers through the federal program “Fertilizers for Wellbeing”. 300 kg/hectare will be distributed to corn and rice farmers in the region. (Department of Agriculture)
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