Brazilian farmers faced challenges in controlling soybean diseases in 2023/24
Brazil
Farmers faced challenges in controlling soybean diseases in 2023/24, according to phytopathology researcher at Cooperativa Central Gaúcha, Carlos Pizolotto. One of the main concerns is the above-average rainfall, which increased the incidence of diseases, particularly Soybean Asian Rust. Pizolotto warned about the early appearance of leaf spots and the incidence of anthracnose, also highlighting the emerging Diaporthe/Phomopsis disease complex, which results in stem breakage and soybean pod anomalies. To face these challenges, the researcher emphasized the need for preventive management, starting pesticide applications earlier in the season and adopting an integrated approach. (CCGL)
Synerjet, aircraft distributor, announces Mateus di Lello as new director for its agribusiness division. (Synerjet Corp)
Syngenta expects pydiflumetofen products to reach global sales of US$ 8 billion within eight years. In Brazil, Syngenta offers eight pesticides containing this molecule, four of which are mixtures of pydiflumetofen + difenoconazole. (Syngenta)
Brazilian Association of Plant Nutrition Technology Industries announced participation of researcher of the Institute of Applied Economic Research, José Eustáquio Ribeiro Vieira Filho, as a speaker on the X Abisolo Forum and Exhibition, to be held on June 5th to 6th, in Campinas, State of São Paulo. With a speech entitled “International Competitiveness of Brazilian Agriculture: Status, Risks and Opportunities”, he will present an analysis of the importance of grain chains in the Brazilian economy and the global competitiveness of the country’s agriculture. (Abisolo)
SLC Agrícola has completed the purchase of a large share of the fertilizers that will be used in the 2024/25 season, which is scheduled to be planted from September of 2024. According to Aurélio Pavinato, CEO of the company, this is part of SLC’s strategic planning to keep sustainable margins and take advantage of opportunities in the market. (SLC Agrícola)
Marcelo Ferri Gonçalves is the new director of market development and agronomy at Eurochem in Brazil. (Eurochem)
Nutrien announced the creation of a proprietary products department, focused on the integrated management of its own businesses, which include Sementes Goiás, Agrichem do Brasil and Loveland Products. Matheus Zanella Aquino, who held the position of seeds director, was chosen to lead the department. (Nutrien Ag Solutions)
Prices of MAP (monoammonium phosphate) remain at stable levels in the Brazilian market. The prices of urea and ammonium nitrate have decreased in the physical market. Potassium chloride remained at stable prices. (StoneX Consulting)
UPL’s Brazilian portfolio includes 13 “sustainable line” products, on the segments of nutrition, biostimulation, and biocontrol of pests and diseases. According to Giuliano Scalabrin, business director in Brazil for the Natural Plant Protection line, the objective is to launch more sustainable products on the market. According to Scalabrin, bioinputs are still more present in crops such as soybeans and corn, being more adopted by large farmers, and one of his objectives as director is to bring these solutions to small-sized and organic farmers. (UPL)
“The recent past has exposed a critical point that has already been much debated in agriculture, which is the national production of fertilizers. We import more than 85% of the fertilizers used in the country. This dependence places us in a fragile situation and compromises our sovereignty”, according to the deputy technical director of the National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock – CNA. “The mining sector, agriculture, and above all the State need to join forces towards this objective. The National Fertilizer Plan is already a clear sign that this is possible… With efficiency, we will be able to follow a path towards the sustainable development of the national fertilizer chain”. (CNA)
President of Petrobras, Jean Paul Prates, estimates that it will be possible to establish a holding company for Petrobras to operate in the fertilizer market by mid-2025. “I think that between the end of this year and the middle of next year we can figure this out. But I would do everything to end 2024 with this resolved, with everything defined correctly, a plan, a fertilizer holding to have the flexibility of having different partners in different plants”, said Prates. Plans for Petrobras’ return to the fertilizer sector include the resumption of operations at Araucária Nitrogenados S.A., in the State of Paraná, and completion of works at the Três Lagoas unit, in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. According to Prates, the Mato Grosso do Sul plant has around 80% of the construction ready, but the percentage needs to be adjusted to reflect deterioration of materials since 2014, when works were interrupted. (EPBR; Petrobras)
Fertilizer deliveries to the Brazilian market reached 2.87 million tonnes in February of 2024, a growth of 7.3% when compared to February of 2023. In the first two months, deliveries reached 6.58 million tonnes, representing an increase of 7.9% compared to 6.10 million tonnes recorded in the first two months of 2023. State of Mato Grosso remains the leader in deliveries to the market, with 26.2%, or 1.72 million tonnes. (ANDA)
Administrative Council for Economic Defense – CADE has approved the creation of Tello, a fertilizer industry partnership between Amaggi, Coopercitrus, Souza and Lucas Participações, Viola Participações and Tecnobeef. The company estimates that it will produce 200 thousand tonnes of “biointelligent” fertilizers and achieve revenues of up to US$ 97.07 million in 2026. With an investment of US$ 23.30 million, the first own production unit will be built in Altair, State of São Paulo, and will come into operation in 2025. There are also plans for a second production unit, in the State of Mato Grosso. (Tello)
The Ministry of Agriculture will have exclusive competence for registering pesticides, environmental control products and the like. Decision was taken by Congress on May 9th, rejecting part of the veto (VET 47/2023) made by the President of Brazil on the new Pesticides Law (Law No. 14785/2023). (Agência Senado)
Fertilizer purchases for 2024/25 are delayed and logistics could become a “bottleneck”, according to Rogério Pompermayer, commercial director at Eurochem. “The fertilizer market is lagging behind this year due to the exchange ratio. This ratio indicates the moment of purchase, that is, whether the farmer will anticipate or postpone purchases… The progress of the Brazilian fertilizer market is around 50%, whereas the average of recent years for this period would be 64%”. (Eurochem)
BASF has announced plans to launch six new active ingredients in Brazil, encompassing 24 new products, in the coming years. (BASF)
After the cattle rancher`s case accused of deforesting 81 thousand hectares of the Pantanal Biome in the State of Mato Grosso by using pesticides, the State Secretariat for the Environment requested the development of an algorithm to enable better monitoring of changes in vegetation. “We have already requested… the creation of an automatic algorithm. By the end of May, we will have tested it and the Federal University of Mato Grosso will assist us by performing a specific study of the functionality and efficiency of this new algorithm. With this we will be able to monitor changes in vegetation in a different way, in real time, even when pesticides are used”, according to the Secretary of Environment, Mauren Lazzaretti. (SEMA)
Companhia Baiana de Pesquisa Mineral – CBPM (Mineral Research Company from the State of Bahia) and the fertilizer company Galvani have announced a phosphate fertilizer project in the city of Irecê, State of Bahia. The planned investment for implementing the project is US$ 66.01 million. Operations are scheduled to begin at the end of 2025. The mining rights are held by CBPM, which estimates annual royalty revenues of approximately US$ 3.79 million. After the start of production, Galvani will be able to provide around 25% of the phosphate fertilizers needed for agriculture in the Northeast and North regions. (Galvani; CBPM)
Federal Police issued three search and seizure warrants on May 9th in cities in the State of Santa Catarina against people being investigated for a criminal scheme to smuggle paraquat from Argentina. The active ingredient is banned in Brazil. “The investigation began in January of 2023, after the arrest of a man from Argentina who was transporting a large quantity of herbicides from that country. The product, containing the banned substance, was intended for sale in the municipality of Massaranduba, State of Santa Catarina”, according to the Federal Police. (Federal Police)
15 people accused of being involved in the theft of approximately US$ 58.24 thousand worth of agricultural pesticides on a farm in Jaborandi, State of São Paulo, in August of 2022, were just sentenced by the Brazilian Law. Together, the sentences reach 154 years in prison. (Fórum de Colina)
3tentos’ net profit grows 51% and reaches US$ 30.36 million. The company has 64 stores, 56 in the State of Rio Grande do Sul and eight in the State of Mato Grosso, which serve farmers in the sale of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, and in the origination of grains (soybeans, corn and wheat). (3tentos)
Beekeeper Ricardo Biocati reported the death of approximately 4 million bees in Cruzeiro do Sul, State of Paraná. It is suspected that this occurred due to a case of pesticide drift from neighboring farms. The Agricultural Defense Agency of the State of Paraná will collect samples on the site. (Adapar)
Ministry of Agriculture published, on May 08th, Acts No. 20 and 21, which inform the registration of 14 equivalent technical pesticide products and request for registration of 119 pesticide products. (MAPA)
Agrobee, a Brazilian startup that manufactures agricultural drones, based in São José dos Campos, State of São Paulo, announced the sale of 50 drones at Agrishow 2024. “With the Agrobee 200 [model], we cover 380 hectares per day, as it can operate almost 24 hours a day, with only five-minute stops for refueling”, said Marco Minerbo, managing partner of the company. (Agrobee)
Latin America
Nutrien has informed that, even though it is looking for a buyer for its business in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile, the operations will not be closed in these countries. The president of Nutrien in Latin America, Carlos Brito, said that the focus on the Brazilian market will also represent an improvement in the company’s global business. (Nutrien Ag Solutions)
During an operation at the company Agrosur, the Federal Police of Argentina seized 390 boxes with 1530 packages of counterfeit pesticides, which had Syngenta’s logo. According to Facundo Fulco, Syngenta’s security manager for the southern region of Latin America, some factors can help to identify counterfeit pesticides: if the price of the product is far below market value; if the product is offered by unauthorized companies, which means that pesticides should only be purchased through the company’s official distribution network; if the labels are poorly adhered or if the brand logo is different from the original logo; etc. (Syngenta)
National Agro-Food Health and Quality Service of Argentina has detected irregularities in the online sales of more than 31 thousand animal health, organic and agrochemical products from January to March of 2024, mainly in the province of Buenos Aires. Irregularities were identified as a part of the Digital Media Inspection and Monitoring Program. More than 21 thousand notifications were related to pesticides or fertilizers that were not registered, were sold in fractions or had adulterated labels. (Senasa)
Bioceres, based in Argentina, recently recorded a 49% annual increase in total revenue in the 2Q/2024, in addition to doubling its adjusted Ebitda in the period, reaching US$ 24.1 million. The company has announced that it just registered three new bioinsecticide and bionematicicide products based on bacteria of the genus Burkholderia in Brazil. “The approval is a long-awaited milestone for our short-term growth plans in Brazil”, said Federico Trucco, president of the company. (Bioceres)
There was a sharp drop in the price of agricultural inputs during the 1Q/2024 in Colombia, mainly for herbicides and fertilizers, which had reductions of 2.78% and 2.35% respectively, in March. (UPRA)
Association of pesticide companies Cultivida, from Peru, has provided the country’s Ministry of Agriculture with two pieces of software developed to help evaluate the environmental risks of pesticides in the registration process. For Cultivida, the delivery of the software does not represent an undue interference by the industry in the government’s regulatory system, but some representatives of civil organizations consider that the donation constitutes a conflict of interest. “The regulatory agency cannot ‘sit at the same table’ with those who are going to be regulated”, said lawyer Jaime Delgado, former president of the Peruvian Association of Consumers and Users. (Peruvian Agroecological Agriculture Network; Aspec)
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