Crop Protection and Nutrition - Weekly Update Brazil & Latin America (11/21/24 – 11/26/24)

Ministry of Agriculture authorizes imidacloprid in soybean, maize, cotton and other crops. In compliance with a court decision issued with regard to lawsuit filed by the National Union of the Plant Defense Products Industry – Sindiveg, the Ministry of Agriculture published Act No. 55, from 11/22/2024, which ensures that the guidelines established in MAPA’s Act No. 71/2002 are applied to all imidacloprid-based registered products and registration requests. The measure ensures equal treatment for all companies. Until then, according to Sindiveg, companies had been harmed by a different regulatory interpretation by Ibama. “Despite the Ministry of Agriculture having complied with the decision, we are still waiting for Ibama to comply, as part of a joint effort to ensure full acquiescence to the law and uniformity in administrative procedures”. (Sindiveg; MAPA)

Committee on Agriculture, Livestock, Supply and Rural Development of the Lower House of Congress of Brazil has approved Legislative Decree Project No. 312/22, which authorizes the use of the fungicide carbendazim in pesticides in the country. In practice, the Project seeks to annul Anvisa’s Resolution 739/22, which banned the active ingredient. The rapporteur, congresswoman Marussa Boldrin, believes that Anvisa’s decision was taken without robust technical and scientific studies and that the ban contradicts the law that created the agency, which provides for studies of the economic and technical impacts over the regulated sector and the impacts on public health. “The potential impacts of this ban on the agricultural production chain, the environment and the country’s economy as a whole require a detailed examination, based on scientific evidence and economic impact analyses”. (Agência Câmara de Notícias)

In compliance with a court decision, Anvisa approves the toxicological evaluation of terbuthylazine 400 g/L + mesotrione 70 g/L SC from Oxon Brasil. (Anvisa)

According to a survey carried out by the maritime agency Williams Brasil, the import of 8.745 million tonnes of fertilizers was scheduled for the period from November 1^st to 18^th. The majority (2.414 million tonnes) should be unloaded through the Port of Santos, State of São Paulo. The agency takes into account shipments that are already anchored, those that are offshore waiting for docking and those scheduled to arrive by 01/19/2025. (Williams Brasil)

Fertilizer imports through Arco Norte (ports in the States of Amapá, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia and Maranhão) reached 27% of the total volume in Brazil. Increasingly, fertilizers arrive in Brazil through ports in the region. By October 2024, 6.4 million tonnes had already been imported, a record volume for the period. The entry of fertilizers through the Port of Paranaguá, the main entry point of this input, has been decreasing. Arco Norte ports have also increased their share of soybean and corn exports. (Secex)

From September to October of 2024, inspectors from Ibama and the Ministry of Agriculture carried out a joint operation to monitor the manufacturing of pesticides in six companies in the States of São Paulo and Paraná. The operation, called Circe, aimed to evaluate the manufacturing process of products based on sulfluramide, which is used for manufacturing formicide baits. The inspection actions were motivated after it was identified the irregular imports of raw materials classified as Persistent Organic Pollutants, banned by the Stockholm Convention, of which Brazil is a signatory. Infractions related to the revalidation and reprocessing of pesticides were also found. Ibama issued nine notices for environmental administrative infractions, with the application of US$ 1.62 million in fines, five terms of notification, in addition to seizure of pesticides, etc. (Ibama; MAPA)

Researcher Caio Eduardo da Costa Domingues, a M.Sc. student in the Postgraduate Program in Biotechnology and Environmental Monitoring at the Federal University of São Carlos in Sorocaba, has identified that bees of the Bombus genus – popularly known as bumblebees – are capable of “compensating” for the effects of certain pesticides, “masking” the impacts of these products depending on the concentration and exposure time. The discovery was the result of research called “Action of cadmium and original Roundup on internal organs of Bombus morio and Bombus atratus (Hymenoptera: Bombini)”. (UFSCar)

Petrobras plans to invest US$ 19.6 billion in the “refining, transport, selling, petrochemical and fertilizers” segment from 2025 to 2029, an increase of 17% when compared to the State-owned company’s previous investment plan. (Petrobras)

Petrobras and Yara fertilizer company have announced a technical cooperation agreement to develop studies with regard to fertilizers and related industrial products. (Yara; Petrobras)

According to Sheilla Pereira Albuquerque, CEO at Solubio, the on-farm production of bioinputs is safe and achieves good-quality products. She cited a study performed by the company with researchers from the University of Brasília, which determined that the application of Bacillus thuringiensis produced in biofactories inside farms can be as efficient for controlling Spodoptera frugiperda as applications using commercial products. “We believe in the farmer’s freedom to decide how to acquire their inputs and to even opt for manufacturing it themselves”, said Albuquerque. (Solubio)

Representatives from CropLife Brasil participated in the 29^th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan. The association represents more than 50 companies that work with biotechnology, chemical pesticides and biological products. (CropLife Brasil)

Corteva announced a new stocks buyback program worth US$ 3 billion, adding to the previous US$ 2 billion program, which still had around US$ 750 million in resources available until 09/30/2024. (Corteva)

Judge Breno Caiado, from the Court of Justice of the State of Goiás, has denied the request from Banco do Brasil (Bank of Brazil) to suspend effects of the decision that granted the processing of the bankruptcy protection (similar to US’ Chapter 11) of AgroGalaxy. The Bank had filed an appeal alleging that the credits guaranteed by fiduciary assignment would not be subject to protection, in accordance with article 49, §3, of Law No. 11101/05. The Bank also questioned the transfer of the HQ of the holding company Agrogalaxy from São Paulo to Goiás shortly before the protection request, classifying the act as an attempt to obtain a more favorable decision. (Goiás Court of Justice; Banco do Brasil)

Fertilizer imports reached 4.9 million tonnes in October, an increase of 5.9% when compared to the previous month and an increase of 8.2% when compared to the same period in 2023. The reduction in fertilizer prices in the period reflects greater competitiveness among international suppliers, adjustments in global stocks and dynamics related to the global supply and demand framework, according to the the National Supply Company’s Logistics Bulletin for November. (Conab)

Agricultural Committee of the Brazilian Lower House of Congress held a discussion on November 25^th with regard to the use of neonicotinoids. Leonardo Minaré, technical advisor at the Brazilian Soybean Farmers Association, participated in the meeting and emphasized the relevance of these products for agriculture, also warning about the disparity in the costs of pesticides in Brazil when compared to other Latin American countries. Maciel Silva, deputy technical director at the National Confederation of Agriculture, considers neonicotinoids are essential for controlling pests with high economic impact, such as corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis), citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) and coffee leaf miner (Leucoptera coffeella). According to Silva, neonicotinoids have been used since the 90s and have replaced more toxic substances, such as organochlorines. (Agência Câmara de Notícias)

A man was arrested red-handed in General Carneiro, State of Mato Grosso, transporting more than US$ 1.24 million in smuggled pesticides from Pedro Juan Caballero, Paraguay. The products were made in China. The suspect was arrested during an integrated action between the Military Police from States of Mato Grosso and Goiás, the Special Border Group and the Federal Police. The irregular pesticides were seized. (Federal Police)

Average incidence of corn leafhopper (Dalbulus maidis) in the State of Santa Catarina increased by 65% in the 16^th week of monitoring by the Agricultural Research and Rural Extension Company of Santa Catarina – Epagri when compared to the previous two weeks. “This is expected, given that some crops are in the reproductive period, and, due to the height of the plants, it is difficult to control insects”, said researcher Maria Cristina Canale. Epagri’s bulletin also highlights the detection of red stunt phytoplasma in several regions in the State. (Epagri)

Wellington Adão is the new head at Lynx Biological, a company specialized in biological solutions for agriculture, with a portfolio of products from the 1^st to the 3^rd generation, that is: 1^st – Only one species per product. 2^nd – Two or more species per product. 3^rd – Metabolites from microorganisms. (Lynx Biological)

According to Tales Tiecher, professor at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, nitrogen is the most challenging nutrient in corn farming. “Unlike soybeans, which perform biological nitrogen fixation, corn depends entirely on nitrogen supplied via fertilization. Therefore, it is crucial to apply the correct dose, considering factors such as the previous crop, the soil’s organic matter content and the plant’s development stages”. According to Tiecher, the moment of application is decisive to avoid losses and maximize absorption by the plant. “If there is no rain after application, nitrogen can be lost through volatilization in the form of ammonia. On the other hand, very intense rains shortly after application can cause leaching losses in the form of nitrate”. (UFRGS)

Corteva bets on drought-resistant non-transgenic wheat. The new veriety should hit the market in 2027 and seeks to challenge the GMO version of Bioceres, from Argentina. According to the company, the new variety can increase grain yields by at least 10%. (Corteva)

Brazilian Association of Plant Nutrition Technology Industries – Abisolo announced Conexão Abisolo, an event that will bring together the II Abisolo Organic Matrix Fertilizer Forum and the III Biofertilizer Symposium in 2025. It will be held from October 22^nd to 23^rd of 2025. According to Abisolo, the proposal is to “strengthen the dialogue between the industry and the academic community”. (Abisolo)

Ministry of Finance has published a list of 54,900 companies that received tax benefits from the Federal Government in 2024. Braskem leads the list, with an exemption of US$ 380 million within the Special Regime for the Chemical Industry. Next is Syngenta, with US$ 300 million in benefits. In the pesticides sector: Basf received US$ 155.97 million; Corteva received US$ 122.78 million; UPL received US$ 110.74 million in benefits. The pesticide sector did not pay US$ 1.86 billion in taxes from January to August of 2024. (Ministry of Finance)

Fertilizer prices in Brazil remained relatively stable in November. Monthly report released by Itaú BBA shows a drop in nitrogen and potassium prices and stability for phosphates. The fertilizer exchange rate for agricultural products remained advantageous for farmers. (Itaú BBA)

Letter signed by 56 agricultural entities was recently delivered to congressman Sérgio Souza, rapporteur of Bill No. 658/2021, which aims to regulate the use of bioinputs. The request from the entities, which includes farmers and industry representatives, highlights the urgent need to approve the project, which is being processed in the Lower House of Congress. (Aprosoja)