There was a large increase in the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) population in cotton farms in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil has more than 137 thousand registered drones, of which 4136 are used for agricultural spraying. The Agricultural Defense Agency of the State of Goiás – Agrodefesa warns that companies providing services in land and aerial application of pesticides, including drone operations, must be registered with the Agency, which is responsible for monitoring compliance with State legislation regarding pesticides, their components and related products. “With the arrival of new technologies and the growth in their use, regulatory and inspection agencies, such as Agrodefesa, need to adapt to this reality. In the case of drones, our legislation reaches these operators, as it refers to service providers in the area of application of pesticides”, said the president of Agrodefesa, José Caixeta Ramos. (Agrodefesa; ANAC)
Mosaic has launched a Biosciences division in Brazil, focused on inoculants, biostimulants and biofertilizers. The new business is expected to reach annual revenues of US$ 100 million by 2030. “We want to establish a mix of global and regional strategies,” said Eduardo Monteiro, Mosaic’s country manager in Brazil. (The Mosaic Company)
Even with the crop failure in Brazil, Biotrop estimates a positive scenario for biologicals in 2024. Sales are expected to surpass US$ 1.19 billion in 2024, compared to US$ 900 million in 2023. “It is true that the inputs industry is suffering from the reduction in soybean and corn prices. But sugarcane and oranges, for example, still have high prices, and so we will continue to advance. We want to reinforce our operations in the Cerrado biome, strengthen the presence of our products in sugarcane farms and enter new crops, such as cotton, coffee, oranges and wheat. We have expanded direct sales and also the sales to agricultural cooperatives, and our focus is to attract new customers”, said Antonio Carlos Zem, president of Biotrop. “In 2023, we will start sales in Uruguay, Peru and Colombia. In 2024, we want to reach other countries in Latin America, such as Argentina and Paraguay, and we will do our first business in the USA”, said Zem. (Biotrop)
In compliance with a court decision, Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluation of pesticide amicarbazone + isoxaflutole, from Adama. (Anvisa)
Ministry of Agriculture published registration requests of 96 pesticide products, of which 27 are microbiological products, 28 herbicides, 29 fungicides, etc. (MAPA)
Federal Supreme Court should resume, from March 22nd to April 3rd, the judgment of ADI No. 5553, which deals with the constitutionality of tax benefits granted to pesticides. So far, the voting score is 4 votes in favor of maintaining the benefits and 2 votes against. Benefits result from the 60% reduction in the ICMS [State tax on product circulation] calculation base and the IPI [Federal excise tax levied on sales of products by manufacturers and other entities held equal to manufacturers by law] exemption for the list of pesticides defined by legislation, and have been granted for 26 years. (STF)
To meet demand for fertilizers in the Port of Santos, State of São Paulo, the logistics companies Hidrovias do Brasil and Rumo announced a partnership that includes a new operation on the right bank of the Port. The companies plan to transport a volume of 500 thousand tonnes of fertilizers per year, with an average of 20 wagons per day. “The speed of growth of the Brazilian demand for fertilizers has challenged the logistics infrastructure. This project turns the Port of Santos into a strategic hub for the sector, contributing significantly to the economic development of the region”, said Ricardo Cerqueira, director of the Port of Santos Operation at Hidrovias do Brasil . (Hidrovias do Brasil; Rumo)
National Association of Agricultural and Veterinary Input Distributors organized an inauguration ceremony for the new Board of Directors for the 2024/25 period. “Andav represents… around 48% of all inputs that reach Brazilian farmers… We have the responsibility to take [to the farmers] the inputs correctly so that we can also bring innovation, technology and good agricultural practices. We are the link that connects the industry to the farmers”, according to Andav’s executive president, Paulo Tibúrcio. (Andav)
Maria Andrade is the new R&D manager at the fertilizer company Morro Verde Fertilizantes. (Morro Verde Fertilizantes)
Superbac’s biofactory, which was inaugurated in 2021 in Mandaguari, State of Paraná, has just started producing biopesticide products. The factory will produce a bionematicide and a biofungicide, both based on bacteria. “The biofactory was designed to be an ultra-modern nursery of solutions that contribute to the preservation of the environment. The structure of our Innovation Center projects a fundamental credibility for the peace of mind of the farmer, who will find in the biopesticide products an environmentally correct answer to the challenges of farming”, said Giuliano Pauli, director of innovation at Superbac. (Superbac)
There was a large increase in the boll weevil (Anthonomus grandis) population in cotton farms in Brazil. The pest can decimate up to 90% of the cotton crop areas. In the State of Mato Grosso, an increase of more than 500% in the insect population was recorded. According to Fábio Lemos, crops manager at FMC, the increase in the boll weevil population is the result of the union of later populations from the previous cotton harvest with new groups that have multiplied within soybean farms. (FMC Corporation)
According to Bruno Fonseca, inputs analyst at Rabobank Brasil, the supply of raw materials for production of biofertilizers should continue to grow in the coming years. “Brazil has a large commercial cattle herd and the trend towards intensification of this activity should maintain the positive potential for the construction of new confinements. For chicken protein, the most consumed meat in the local market, and with Brazil as the largest exporter and second largest producer in the world, expectations are also positive for the availability of waste for use in composting”, said Fonseca. “Total fertilizer deliveries in 2023 came in quite strong, very close to 2021’s record, thus confirming our view of a robust recovery in demand. And in the case of 2024? According to our estimates, despite tighter margins for grains, we must surpass the record for deliveries from 2021, when 45.9 million tonnes were delivered”. (Rabobank Brasil)
Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service began the 3rd phase of Operation Dagon, which seeks to dismantle an income tax evasion scheme by farmers. Action focuses on companies that issue false electronic invoices for agricultural inputs. Fraud occurred in the States of Goiás and Bahia and was identified by the Federal Revenue Service in 2019. Tax evasion scheme generated a total of US$ 440 million from June of 2019 to December of 2022, resulting in an estimated loss of US$ 109.65 million. (RF)
Vittia had a net profit of US$ 8.22 million in the 4Q of 2023, a result 16.2% lower than the same period in 2022. Company’s net revenue grew 5.7% in the period, reaching US$ 48.50 million. “The 4Q presented a challenging scenario for agribusiness, mainly due to the unfavorable weather at the beginning of planting of the summer crop, directly impacting the input chain, of which the company is part, and frustrating our expectations of a heated demand that would bring the recovery of revenue and profitability indicators for the business in the fiscal year”, according to a note from the company. (Vittia)
Brazilian companies were present at the 24th China International Agrochemical & Crop Protection Exhibition, in Shanghai. Sci-Agro Laboratory, Agriconnection, an agricultural inputs company, and the pesticide registration consulting firm AllierBrasil were some of the exhibitors. AgriBrasilis was also at the exhibition, for the launch of the Pesticide Registration Compendium 2023. (CAC Show)
The 43rd Phytopathology Congress of the State of São Paulo should happen from July 22nd to 24th, 2024, in the city of Botucatu, State of São Paulo, at the Lageado Experimental Farm. The event aims to bring together researchers, teachers and students to discuss advances in phytopathology regarding the diagnosis and different ways of managing diseases of agricultural and forestry plants. (FEPAF Eventos)
Biocontrol & Biostimulants LATAM event, organized by New AG International, together with CropLife Brasil, will be held from July 29th to 31st, 2024, at the Royal Palm Hall, in Campinas, State of São Paulo. Some of the topics covered at the event will be the regulation of biocontrol and biostimulants in Latin America, updates on R&D of biological products, discussions on market trends, etc. (New AG International; CropLife Brasil)
Latin America
Alfredo Kober is the new CEO of ICL at South America. (ICL América do Sul)
Center for receiving empty pesticide packages was inaugurated in General Villegas, a municipality in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina. (CampoLimpio)
Experts from National Institute of Agricultural Technology – INTA, in Argentina, warn of the need to monitor presence of thrips (insects of the order Thysanoptera) in soybeans, especially in areas where there has not been abundant rainfall. “Thrips suck the leaves and reduce their photosynthetic capacity, affecting the development of the crops”, according to Evangelina Perotti, INTA’s researcher. “When the ideal climatic conditions for its development occur, especially in the case of high temperatures or water stress, there may be an overlapping of insect generations, which causes population outbreaks”. (INTA)
William Weber is Corteva’s new marketing director for Brazil and Paraguay. (Corteva Agriscience)
Research from the Adolfo Ibáñez University, in Chile, seeks to recover phosphorus from domestic wastewater for the production of fertilizers. “Phosphorus recovered from wastewater can be an alternative source for the phosphate sector, mainly for fertilizers. One of the most promising options in recovering phosphorus from wastewater is through the precipitation of magnesium ammonium phosphate, commonly known as struvite”, according to researcher Nicolás Hernández-Alcayaga. (UAI)
In Colombia, aircrafts that were used to spray glyphosate will now be used to put out fires and help mitigate effects of El Niño, through the Forest Fire Extinguishing and Environmental Protection Program, launched in February. In 2015, the country banned the use of glyphosate to destroy coca farms. (National Police of Colombia)
Export, manufacture, formulation, sales, distribution, and storage of chlorpyrifos-based pesticides will be prohibited in Peru after August 1st, 2024. (Senasa)
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