Chinese government has lifted the embargo on imports of Brazilian beef
Soybean harvest in the 2022/23 season is estimated at 25 million tonnes, below the 29 million tonnes previously estimated. This is the smallest soybean harvest in almost 25 years. Estimates for 2022/23 corn harvest were also reduced, reaching 36 million tonnes, compared to 37.5 million previously estimated, the worst corn harvest in seven years. (Buenos Aires Grain Exchange)
Agricultural emergency was declared until March 31st in Buenos Aires Province because of drought. Tax benefits will be announced for farmers in the region. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Needed at least 300 mm of rain between April and May for wheat cultivation to be profitable in the 2023/24 season. “It’s a crop that could allow a strategic revenue in December…”, said Julio Lieutier, advisor to the Regional Consortium for Agricultural Experimentation. (CREA)
Sergio Busso, Córdoba’s secretary of agriculture, asks the government to stop the retenciones (export taxes) on dairy production. In products such as powdered milk, taxes reach 9%. “The situation of dairy products in the entire dairy regions of Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, Santiago del Estero and, above all for us [in Córdoba], the leaders in milk production, is very delicate”, said Busso. (Secretary of Agriculture of Córdoba)
Fabiana Alves is the new CEO of Rabobank Brasil and first woman to take over as head of the bank for South America. (Rabobank)
According to the Minister of Agriculture, Carlos Fávaro, the Chinese government has lifted the embargo on imports of Brazilian beef. Decision was announced before the President of the Republic, Lula da Silva, went to the Asian country, where he will meet the President of China, Xi Jinping, to discuss advances in the trade agenda between the nations. Date for resumption of beef trade has not yet been informed. (Ministry of Agriculture)
IDR-Paraná launches a “pinto bean” cultivar, IPR Águia, that allows longer storage time. The cultivar has a cycle of 88 days, potential yield of 4.8 tonnes/ha and favors direct mechanical harvesting. (IDR-Paraná)
National Technical Biosafety Commission – CTNBio considered drought-tolerant soybeans developed through gene editing by Embrapa as conventional plants. “By considering this soybean as non-transgenic, the research processes are less bureaucratic and, therefore, we manage to reduce time and costs for drought-tolerant cultivars to reach the market, with assured biosecurity”, according to Alexandre Nepomuceno, general manager from Embrapa Soybean. “Furthermore, there will be no need for us to conduct the complex process of commercial deregulation of a transgenic product, which is time-consuming and costly”, he adds. (Embrapa Soybean; CTNBio)
Agricultural exports from the State of Minas Gerais totaled US$ 1.8 billion in the first two months of 2023, reaching 1.4 million tonnes. Recorded value during the two months is the second best result of the historical series, started in 1997, behind only the 2022 values. (Department of Agriculture of Minas Gerais)
National Supply Company – Conab confirms Edegar Pretto as president. Pretto was state deputy for the State of Rio Grande do Sul in the last three legislatures. (Conab)
According to the Ministry of Agrarian Development and Family Agriculture, the Food Acquisition Program – PAA budget will be US$ 95.77 million in 2023. PAA is a Federal program that aims to aid family farming by stimulating the consumption of its production through purchases made by the government. (MDA)
400,000 banana trees were damaged by storms in the north of the State of Santa Catarina. Main cities affected were Luiz Alves, Massaranduba and São João do Itaperiú, that together suffered US$ 4.79 million in losses. (Epagri – SC)
Mandatory mixture of biodiesel in diesel will be increased from 10% to 12% in April, following a decision by the National Council for Energy Policy. According to Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, the CNPE decided to propose gradual increases of 1% per year in the biodiesel blend, until it reaches 15% in 2026. (CNPE)
State of Paraná recorded the highest broiler chicken production in history in 2022, surpassing 2 billion birds, more than a third of national production. (IBGE)
Confirmed second case of avian influenza in industrial poultry, in commercial egg laying hens in the Maule region. “We want to insist with small farmers who have birds to lock them up. There are many vectors of contamination, and Andean countries have reported cases of avian flu. We must act with the utmost diligence for food security…” said Agriculture Minister Esteban Valenzuela. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Authorized imports of papaya from Brazil, after technical visits to verify the phytosanitary control of the Brazilian production. Last year, Chile also allowed the commercial opening of Tahiti limes from Brazil. (Ministry of Agriculture)
After 10 years of negotiations, the first beef import from Argentina was carried out, of just one tonne, from the Arrebeef slaughterhouse. Commercial opening happened in November 2022, and another 21 establishments were authorized to export to Mexico. (Senasa)
Authorized entry of citrus products from Chile without the need of treatment. Negotiations have been ongoing since 2012. Mexico is the fourth largest citrus producer in the world, with a global share of 7%. (IQ Consulting; ASOEX)
Soybean harvest estimated at 9.7 million tonnes, considering summer and winter crops for the 2022/23 season, compared to 4.54 million in the previous year. (Datagro)
Minister of Agrarian Development, Nelly Paredes, announces that farmers affected by the rains and landslides are eligible to receive compensation from the Agricultural Insurance Against Catastrophes. More than 25 thousand hectares of crops were damaged in the country. Damages on 12 thousand hectares were considered irreversible. Insurance covers damages caused by natural phenomena in agriculture, it is free and subsidized by the State. (Midagri)
Estimated losses of US$ 2 billion caused by drought. According to the minister of agriculture, Fernando Mattos, drought effects will also have consequenses for the next few years, because of the lower birth of calves, for example. “This will have consequences within three years, because of a smaller amount of places for fishing and meat for export”, said the minister. (Ministry of Agriculture)
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