Overview by AgriBrasilis (09/23 – 09/29)

People living in poverty in Argentina have exceeded 40% of the population

Agroceres PIC, focused on the genetic improvement of sows and boars, announced the opening of a Genetic Dissemination Unit in Florentino Ameghino, Buenos Aires. Total investment was US$ 7 million. The company now has nine units in South America, with a total production capacity for 5.8 million doses of semen per year. “We know that the pig market has great potential to continue growing. We have many comparative advantages, such as our health status and the availability and price of food”, says Marcelo Riveiro, general manager of Agroceres PIC in Argentina. (Agroceres PIC)

Sales of the next wheat harvest are at their slowest pace in seven years. Farmers are waiting for more rain and for the outcome of the October 22nd presidential election, as two of the three main candidates have promised to eliminate wheat export tariffs, currently set at 12%. According to Miguel Cane, president of the ArgenTrigo grain chamber, “the low sales are happening in part because of political uncertainty in relation to the new government”. (ArgenTrigo)

Number of people living in poverty exceeded 40% of the population in the 1H of 2023, according to a survey by the National Institute of Statistics and Census. (Indec)

The Senate has approved on September 27th the Bill 2903/23, which establishes the Temporal Framework for the demarcation of indigenous lands. The proposal will go to the president of the republic, Luíz Inácio Lula da Silva, for approval. The text determines that indigenous peoples will only be able to claim ownership of areas they occupied before October 5th, 1988, the date of the promulgation of the Constitution. (Senate Agency)

Marfrig reached a stake of 40.1% of BRF’s total shares. According to the company, the acquisition aims to increase shareholding in BRF, without the intention of changing the company’s current composition of control or the administrative structure. (BRF)

Sugarcane yields in the central-south region of Brazil increased by 23% in 2023/24, when compared to 2022/23, reaching 92.8 tonnes per hectare. (CTC)

Startup SiloReal, which opened up in 2021 in Argentina, announced that it will focus on the grain storage market in Brazil. The company intends to reach 25% of the silo-bag segment in the country. According to José Dominguez, co-founder and director of SiloReal, the estimation is that there are currently 150,000 silos in the farms in Brazil, with potential growth of up to 40% per year. The company has already announced US$ 1.5 million in investment rounds and expects to raise another US$ 1 million in 2023. Estimated revenue is US$ 300,000 for the period. (SiloReal)

Soybean production costs for the 2023/24 season, in August of 2023, totaled US$ 822.13 per hectare, a decrease of 15.57% when compared to 2022. This decrease is related to the lower prices of inputs. (Senar-MT)

Antônio da Luz, chief economist at the Rio Grande do Sul State Agriculture Federationforesees an increase in beef prices at the beginning of 2024 and the possibility of better results for those ranchers who have invested in their herds. (Farsul)



Minerva Foods announced the approval of a sanitary protocol for the export of beef from Colombia to China. The company has two production facilities in Colombia, in Bucaramanga and Ciénaga de Oro. “Considering Minerva Foods’ current ‘footprint’, our exposure to the Chinese market totals eight production units, with a slaughter capacity of approximately 12 thousand heads of cattle per day, with three facilities in Brazil, four in Uruguay and one in Argentina”, according to the company’s statement. (Minerva)

The Mexican House of Corn (Casa del Maíz) seeks to preserve 45 local corn varieties, and criticizes the growing adoption of GMO seeds“We try to raise awareness among the farmers telling them: if you have seeds that are not GMO, you can generate your own seeds, and become more autonomous”, says Ezequiel Cárdenas, founder of the House of Corn. The Department of Agriculture of Mexico estimates that there are 64 different races of corn in the country, of which 59 are native. (Casa del Maíz)



The Association of Soybean, Oilseeds and Cereal Farmers of Paraguay, along with other agricultural entities in Latin America, signed a manifesto against the new European environmental legislation, the European Union Regulation for Deforestation-Free Products. The legislation prohibits the import of agricultural products from deforested areas. According to the manifesto, this regulation is a form of protectionism, and can create distortions on global trade. (APS)

Food insecurity is increasing in the country. The number of families that are suffering from hunger has increased threefold since 2012. 57% of Peruvians say they have faced a lack of food in recent months. “The food crisis is at the root of the increase in malnutrition problems in children… There is more childhood anemia, malnutrition and overweight problems due to the consumption of cheap and low-nutrition products,” said Carolina Trivelli, researcher at the Institute of Peruvian Studies. (IEP)

An alert was issued about the occurrence of the invasive plant “pink grass”, or “pink pasture” (Melinis repens), in northern Uruguay. This forage plant is an exotic species, originating from Africa, and competes with the country’s native plants. The Ministries of Environment and Agriculture have drawn up a monitoring and control plan to “guarantee the gradual restoration of ecosystems”. (Ministry of the Environment)

It was extended until December 31st, 2023, the declaration of agricultural emergency because of the drought for the areas of livestock, dairy, horticulture, fruit farming, beekeeping, poultry farming and forestry. According to the minister of agriculture, Fernando Mattos, the objective is to continue granting credit, aiming to mitigate the drought. The decision is based on the analysis of the climatic situation done by the National Agricultural Information System. (Ministry of Agriculture)


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