Bolivia’s Entry Into Mercosur Could Favor the Import of Fertilizers To Brazil
Brazil
According to Luciana Fabri Mazza, partner at the law firm Mazza e Manente de Almeida Advogados, only 6 out of 19 Federal Civil Courts were responsible for 49.13% of the approval of court decisions against Anvisa for the toxicological evaluation of pesticides in 2022 and 2023. These 6 Courts were responsible for 57 of the 116 approvals in the period. (Mazza e Manente Advogados)
Detection of simazine, thiamethoxam, fipronil and carbendazim in rivers in Bonito, State of Mato Grosso do Sul, will be discussed at an extraordinary meeting of the Municipal Environmental Council, on July 26th. (Comdema; Neotrópica Foundation of Brazil)
Ministry of Agriculture approves 60 pesticide registrations, 10 of which were of biological products. (MAPA)
According to IHARA’s Regional Marketing Manager, João Tomás, excessive rainfall during the last wheat crop resulted in a high incidence of the fungus Fusarium spp., causing concern among cooperatives and distributors about the quality of seeds for the next planting period. “Recently, in a conversation with Biotrigo, their experts commented that for every 10 wheat samples they receive, 9 are contaminated with the disease”, said Tomás. (IHARA)
ICL and Lavie Bio, a subsidiary of Evogene Ltd., will begin field tests with biostimulants in Brazil and the USA. Results are expected by the end of 2024. Using artificial intelligence, Lavie Bio has identified more than 12 microorganisms with potential for commercialization as biostimulants for crops in extreme climatic conditions. (ICL Growing Solutions)
“The reduced availability of phosphates in the USA has caused buyers to purchase more TSP [triple superphosphate], a phosphate-based fertilizer that is not widely used in the country. TSP availability is also restricted in Brazil. With Chinese production more often focused on the domestic market, the volume of Chinese fertilizer available to Brazil has decreased”, said Renata Cardarelli, specialist at Argus. (Argus Consulting)
Soybean production costs for the 2024/25 crop in the State of Mato Grosso continue to increase. In June, the estimated cost for soybean farming was US$ 711.84/ha. The increase is mainly associated with the rise in prices of fertilizers and soil correction products [such as lime], especially macronutrients, which had an increase of 1.31% when compared to May of 2024. (IMEA)
“In the 2000s, the use of herbicides in the pre-emergence phase of soybeans was essential, as post-planting products at the time caused serious selectivity damage to soybean plants”, said Pedro Christoffoleti, director of PJC Consultoria Agronômica. “After the emergence of RR soybeans, tolerant to glyphosate, post-planting products for the crop became the main tool for controlling weeds”. However, in recent years, new procedures have become part of Integrated Weed Management, such as the use of new active ingredients. “This is where the herbicides used in the pre-sowing of soybeans once again play an important role, as they help farms to stay clean before sowing… If soybeans come out before the weeds, they will have an advantage in this competition”. (PJC Consultoria Agronômica Ltda.; Bayer)
Civil Police started Operation Ladino on July 18th, dismantling a group suspected of stealing pesticides from farms in Palmeiras de Goiás, State of Goiás. This resulted in the arrest of two suspects. It is estimated that the group caused losses of US$ 84 thousand. (Civil Police)
Brazilian Senate is expected to analyze in August the tax reform regulation project, approved by the Chamber of Deputies [Brazilian Lower House of Congress]. The Complementary Bill No. 68/2024 establishes rules for unification of taxes on consumption, for cases of reduced tax incidence and rules for the refunding of payments (“cashback”). The category of fertilizers appears in the Bill as part of “Agricultural and aquaculture inputs subject to a 60% reduction in IBS [Tax on Goods and Services] and CBS [Social Contribution of Goods and Services] rates”. (Agência Senado)
Orion Group announced the launch of the Lynx brand, created to position and commercialize its portfolio of biological products. “We are committed to providing farmers with a complete and efficient solution for the application of biological products, combining our high-quality products with leading application technology”, said Ricardo da Cunha Filho, CEO. (Orion Group)
“Soybean anomaly” has emerged as one of the biggest challenges for farmers in the South region of Brazil, causing a big drop in yields. Syngenta, in partnership with Embrapa and the University of Passo Fundo, has performed a study about the disease. Bruno Zuntini, leader of the company’s fungicide portfolio, said that “the main conclusion is that both grain and seed rot and stem breakage are caused by a complex of fungi, with a predominance of Colletotrichum and Diaporthe”. According to Lucas Navarini, Ph.D. in phytopathology, “high temperatures and humidity during the critical period of the disease favor the incidence of pathogens that cause the anomaly. However, the epidemiology is more influenced by stress on the host [soybean plants] than by climatic factors”. (Syngenta; Embrapa)
A low-cost solution for biological control was presented by Embrapa and the company BirdView, from São Manuel, State of São Paulo. Project Orbio uses drones with a flight plan optimization system and dispensers to release insects to combat pests and diseases. The use of drones is fundamental in optimizing route planning for biological control, identifying coverage areas, determining distances and the type of application of the biological agent, in addition to the flight altitude. The product prototype is in the final testing phase. (Embrapa; BirdView)
Latin America
According to an article published by researchers Luiz Teixeira (Instituto Agronômico, Brazil), Miguel Dita (Bioversity International, Colombia), Thayne Munhoz (Embrapa Meio Ambiente, Brazil), Jorge Vargas (International Center for Tropical Agriculture, Colombia), Charles Staver (Universidad Veracruzana, Mexico), banana Fusarium wilt has intensified in recent years, with the rapid spread of the TR4 race. Since 2018, the number of affected countries has increased from 16 to 23. “The potential impact of TR4 in Latin America and the Caribbean is particularly concerning. This region has 7 of the top 10 banana exporting countries… In Colombia, where TR4 was detected in 2019, the disease has already spread from La Guajira to Magdalena… In Peru, the disease was detected in 2021… In Venezuela, TR4 was detected in 2023”. Available at: https://acess.dev/SjLmJ (Instituto Agronômico; Biodiversity International; Embrapa Meio Ambiente)
In recent weeks, waves of intense cold have hit parts of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil, with record low temperatures in many regions. Even though it is a challenge for agriculture, frosts can benefit soybean farmers by eliminating volunteer soybean plants. These plants can host pests and diseases, such as Asian soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi. According to agronomists Leonardo Furlani and Victor Costa, from DigiFarmz, the elimination of volunteer plants reduces the ‘infection pressure’ in subsequent crops, and interrupts the fungus cycle. “Even with the possible reduction of the initial inoculum of soybean rust because of the climate, it is still important to maintain an integrated disease management, using robust fungicide programs”, said Sidinei Neuhaus, from Agrihold/Agrotec. (DigiFarmz; Agrihold/Agrotec)
Bolivia’s entry into Mercosur could favor the import of fertilizers to Brazil, according to a study by economist Pedro Barros, from the Institute of Applied Economic Research of Brazil. According to Barros, the main beneficiary would be the agribusiness in the States of Acre, Roraima and Mato Grosso. From the Rondon Quadrant [one of the five South American Integration routes, connecting the aforementioned States with Bolivia and Peru], the three Brazilian States will have, through Bolivia and its agreements with Chile and Peru, access to the Pacific Ocean. The ports of Arica, in Chile, and Ilo and Matari, in Peru, are used by Bolivia and may, from now on, enter the Brazilian commercial route. “Roads will need to be improved. Many stretches in Bolivia need to be paved”, said the researcher. “Outside of the South and Southeast, other regions of Brazil do not feel as part of Mercosur. The incorporation of Bolivia is also the entrance to the block of Mato Grosso, Roraima, Acre, which is the western belt of Brazil”. (IPEA)
State-owned company Yacimientos Petroliferos Fiscales Bolivianos plans to expand urea production in Bolivia. Armin Dorgathen, president of the company, said that “an example of demand and opportunity is that we have Brazil, which is a consumption monster. There is a large market demand, as 10 urea plants, such as Bulo Bulo, would only supply the state of MT,” said Dorgathen. (YPFB)
Third International Congress of Biological Control, held in San José, Costa Rica, brought together experts in sustainable agriculture. According to Pedro Rocha, representative of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture, “poor communication and charlatanism” are some of the main challenges faced in the market. Furthermore, Rocha states that it is important “to work from a regulatory point of view in countries that require it, including reviewing and proposing adjustments to current regulations. Furthermore, [it is important to] promote the interaction of competent national authorities in different countries, and to promote coordination between players”. (IICA; ICBC3)
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