Overview by AgriBrasilis (06/10– 06/16)

Bunge and Viterra announced a merger operation. This should create a company valued at US$ 32 billion. Combined, they represent 23.7% of Brazilian corn exports and 20.9% of soybean exports, as per 2022 values. According to the agreement, Viterra shareholders will receive 65.6 million shares from Bunge, estimated at US$ 6.2 billion, and US$ 2 billion in cash. (Bunge; Viterra)

Be8, biggest biodiesel producer in Brazil, and the State of Paraná signed an intended agreement to invest in a soybean crushing facility in the city of Marialva. Be8 already has a biodiesel production site in the region. It will have the capacity to process 5,000 tonnes of soybean/day, producing oil, bran and soybean hulls, with expected investments of approximately US$ 310 million. (Be8)

19% decrease in coffee exports from January to May 2023. 13.6 million bags were exported in the period. The result reflects harvest delay and a shortage of products because of the lower production in the last two harvests. (Cecafé)

Grano Alimentos invests in plant-based products with the aim of earning US$ 124 million in 2025. “The moment is for business expansion” said Danilo Rodrigues, chairman of the board. (Grano Alimentos)

In a statement to the Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry regarding the Landless Workers Movement, the former president of the National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform, Francisco Graziano, argued in favor of changes in the current model of agrarian reform. “There is no need for agrarian reform anymore. We need to correct the agrarian reform that we carried out”, he said. “Studies show that there is a big concentration of land within the settlements. There is a way to give land to thousands of people without making new settlements”, concluded Graziano. (Agência Câmara de Notícias)

Soybean fallowing period in the State of Paraná started on 06/10 and will continue until 09/10. For 90 days it is forbidden to cultivate or keep live soybean plants in the farms. Objective is to reduce the survival of the fungus that causes Asian rust during the off-season. “Fallowing benefits the farmer, because the disease will appear later, requiring less fungicide applications, in addition to maintaining products’ efficacy to control Asian rust,” said Renato Rezende, sanitation manager plant from the Agricultural Defense Agency of the State of Paraná. (Adapar)

“Today, agriculture is our main portfolio”, according to the president of Itaú BBA, Flávio Souza. “When we look at some indexes, for example, the stock of CPR [Rural Product Notes] on the market, there is an absolutely extraordinary growth of more than 80% in the last 12 months. In transaction volume, it more than doubled”, said Souza. (Itaú BBA)

First seedless tangerine variety developed in Chile, with the objective of increasing exports to the US market. Variety called Isabelina is “an early-harvesting tangerine planted without a net. This considerably reduces investment costs”, said Johanna Mártiz, researcher at the Citrus Genetic Improvement Program. USA is the destination for more than 90% of citrus exports. (Facultad de Agronomía e Ingeniería Forestal UC)

Ministry of Agriculture estimates that 18 thousand hectares of rice were affected by floods on the coast. Furthermore, the Ministry denied that restrictions had been established on the commercialization of rice in the country. Through a press release, the Ministry of Agriculture warned “about the circulation of false and unverified publications that report alleged restrictions on rice sales”. (Ministry of Agriculture)

Farmers blocked the Mexico-Nogales federal highway with more than 200 tractors. According to the protesters’ spokesman, Eduardo Moreno, farmers are “desperate” because of a lack of support and want competitive prices for wheat and corn. “The farms have been forgotten… They don’t understand that the subsidies that other countries guarantee put us at a disadvantage,” said Moreno. Fátima Rodríguez Mendoza, head of the Secretariat of Agriculture of Sonora, said that there are incentives to support farmers, but that many are not aware of them. (Secretariat of Agriculture of Sonora)

Despite the challenges caused by climate change and lack of workers, the production of red berries in Mexico will grow by 15% in 2023, while exports have surpassed avocados, beer and tequila in the first months of the year. (Aneberries)

There was a sharp decrease in the area planted with corn. 2022/23 season had the smallest area in five years. Regions of San Luis Potosí and Sonora showed a 40% reduction in the area cultivated with off-season corn. (SIAP)