Fertilizer company Fertilizantes Heringer reported a loss of US$ 4.86 million in the 4Q of 2023
Brazil
In compliance with a court decision, Anvisa approves toxicological evaluation of pesticide trifloxystrobin + prothioconazole, from Perterra. (Anvisa)
Sinara Giombelli Ferreira is FMC’s new business director in Brazil. (FMC Corporation)
Fertilizer company Fertilizantes Heringer reported a loss of US$ 4.86 million in the 4Q of 2023, a reduction of 65% when compared to the loss of US$ 13.84 million in the same period of 2022. In 2023, the net loss reached a total of US$ 71.36 million, 140% above the loss of US$ 29.75 million in 2022. (Fertilizantes Heringer)
Jose Henrique Galli is the new CEO of Goplan, an agricultural input franchisor based in Campinas, State of São Paulo. (Goplan)
Considered one of the cheapest in the world, Brazilian green hydrogen no longer has such a low price when the subsidies for electricity final consumer’s charges are taken into account. In this context, self-power generation can be a solution to guarantee competitiveness, according to Atlas Agro’s director of renewable energy, Maria Gabriela da Rocha Oliveira. “So today we are thinking about the model that we call power-to-nitrogen. So, [this model] is for us to own the entire chain, from the generation of renewable power to the production of nitrogen fertilizer”. (Atlas Agro; EPBR)
Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluation of a new technical pesticide product, with active ingredient not yet registered in Brazil, based on spidoxamat, from Bayer. (Anvisa)
Corn Monitoring Program of the State of Santa Catarina has identified corn leafhoppers (Dalbulus maidis) infected with red stunt phytoplasma, pale stunt spiroplasma and stripe virus, which are diseases transmitted by the insect, capable of compromising grain production. Maria Rappussi, researcher at the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of the State of Santa Catarina stated that “the increase in infectivity is expected in this off-season and has already been observed in monitoring carried out in previous years… Since the infectivity of the leafhopper is high, the risk of the pathogen being made viable for the following season is also high”. (Epagri)
Cauê Tavares is the new director of customer marketing and business intelligence at Bayer in Brazil. (Bayer Crop Science)
From the 2014/15 season to 2022/23, the corn fungicide market grew more than 4x, from US$ 110.90 million to US$ 550 million. Gabriel Pedroso, a specialist at Kynetec Brasil, highlights that 85% of the total value, or US$ 470 million, corresponded to the planting of the off-season crop, and the remaining 15%, US$ 81.50 million, to the summer crop. Compared to 2021/22, when fungicides for corn reached US$ 450 million, there was a 26% increase in sales. (Kynetec Brasil)
Syngenta announced the acquisition of Grupo Produtécnica, a distributor of agricultural inputs focusing on the States of Maranhão, Piauí and Tocantins. “We are not merely seeking to expand or consolidate, but rather to have a distribution network capable of promoting technologies, services and support”, said Andre Savino, president of Syngenta Crop Protection Brazil. Completion of the transaction is subject to the approval of the Administrative Council for Economic Defense. (Syngenta)
Rodrigo Gutierrez is the new CEO of Grupo Sinova, previously Grupo Sinagro, focused on pesticides, fertilizers and seeds in the Cerrado Biome region. (Sinova)
Mosaic Company and SulGesso Agro, from the State of Rio Grande do Sul, announced a commercial partnership for distribution of agricultural gypsum in the Southern region. After May 1st, SulGesso will be the exclusive distributor of agricultural gypsum for the States of Paraná, Santa Catarina and Rio Grande do Sul. “The partnership with Mosaic certainly means a new moment in the market for soil correction and conditioning inputs in southern Brazil”, said the president of SulGesso, Manoel Ferreira. Agricultural gypsum produced by Mosaic originates during the production of phosphoric acid, from the reaction of high purity phosphate rock with sulfuric acid. (Mosaic Fertilizers; SulGesso Agro)
According to Kassio Mendes, a researcher at the Federal University of Viçosa, herbicides accounted for almost half of the total pesticide consumption in 2021 and 2022. “Soybeans and corn are at the top, and the focus of registering pesticide companies is on commodities. Therefore, fruits and vegetables have few registered products”, said Mendes. According to him, Mato Grosso is the State that consumed the most pesticides in Brazil. (Sindiveg; UFV)
Through an investment of US$ 19.77 million, the private equity firm Aqua Capital became the controlling shareholder of SoluBio, now holding more than 50% of the company. SoluBio’s objective is to earn US$ 200 million per year in five years. Aqua Capital also announced the raising of approximately US$ 450 million in its new fund, dedicated to investing in agribusiness and food companies. (Aqua Capital; SoluBio)
Roberto Araújo, director of chemical pesticides at CropLife Brasil, will speak at the workshop “New Pesticides Law: Impacts on Agricultural Aviation”, organized by the Brazilian Institute of Agricultural Aviation. Event will be held online on April 4th, at 3 pm local time. (Abravag; CropLife Brasil)
With investments of approximately US$ 12.80 million, Adufértil will start using Portocel, a port terminal specialized in the movement of forestry products, localized in Aracruz, State of Espírito Santo, for the import and handling of fertilizers in Brazil. The operation is part of the port’s diversification process, whose shareholders are the pulp companies Suzano and Cenibra. Between 120 thousand and 180 thousand tonnes/year of fertilizers are expected to be handled at the port. (Adufertile)
A request from Minister André Mendonça interrupted, on April 2nd, the judgment of the Virtual Plenary of the Federal Supreme Court on the validity of rules that establish tax reductions for pesticides. As a result, the analysis of the case will restart in a face-to-face session, with no date yet set. Until the request, the trial was virtual, scheduled to end this Wednesday, April 03rd. (STF; Conjur)
Sheilla Pereira Albuquerque is the new CEO of SoluBio, focused on the production of “on farm” bioinputs, which are produced directly on the agricultural properties. (SoluBio)
Federal Court of Auditors found “robust evidence of serious irregularities” in a contract between Petrobras and Unigel for the production of fertilizers in two factories in the State of Bahia and one in the State of Sergipe. The Court recommended the suspension of the contract. (TCU)
Latin America
According to the technology company Trimble, its WeedSeeker 2 system uses “advanced optics and powerful processing to detect and apply pesticides only to infested areas”, which could generate savings of up to 60% in product usage. “In addition to applying desiccation products, [the system] is also capable of eliminating weeds after the crop has already emerged. These and other factors allow the farmer to have a high return on investment, as it allows the economy of pesticides on the infested area”, said José Carlos Bueno, the company’s commercial director for Latin America. (Trimble)
“The levels of phosphorus, sulfur and zinc in the soils of Argentina have fallen worryingly”, according to Amancay Herrera, commercial manager at the Suelo Fértil laboratory, of the Argentine Agricultural Cooperatives Association. “We came from a poor harvest in many cases, which returned nutrients to the soil. But in general, levels of phosphorus, sulfur and zinc have fallen worryingly”. It is necessary to evaluate the cost-benefit of fertilization and consider sustainable soil management practices to ensure effective long-term nutrient replenishment. (ACA)
Association of Suppliers of Agricultural Inputs, Goods and Services – Aprisa of Bolivia and the Association of Suppliers of Agricultural Inputs – APIA claim that the National Service of Agricultural Health and Food Safety – Senasag is carrying out “a series of setbacks” in the registration of pesticides. According to the associations, Senasag used to carry out “more agile and less bureaucratic” registration, but after the inclusion of the Ministries of Health and the Environment in the process through regulations approved in 2017, fee charges tripled the costs of product registration. “The rule says they must give us a response within 90 days. Four years pass and we have no answer. If a new product comes out today and is more environmentally friendly, in Bolivia it can only be used after four years”, said Jorge Araníbar, president of Aprisa. According to Martín Ascarrunz, president of APIA, of the 1000 registration requests made in the last 5 years, only 132 were approved. “That is, approximately 26 registrations per year. Previously, there were 470 registrations per year”. (Aprisa; APIA)
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