Alarming Increase in the Occurrence of Cyst Nematodes in Brazil
Agribusiness employed 28.5 million people in the 1Q25, a growth of 0.6% when compared to the same period of 2024, with approximately 171 thousand new jobs. The inputs sector recorded the largest percentage expansion in 12 months, with an increase of 10.2%, with 30.2 thousand new workers. (Cepea)
Ministry of Agriculture published approval of 115 pesticide registrations, which are 56 technical products and 59 formulated products. (Official Gazette, Acts No. 26 & 28, published on 06/30/2025, MAPA)
President of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed a decree on June 30th establishing the National Program for the Reduction of Agrochemicals – Pronara. This is part of the third National Plan for Agroecology and Organic Production, a public policy for ecological transition announced in October of 2024, which provides for initiatives focused on research and innovation, incentives for public procurement and the inclusion of women, young people, indigenous people, etc, in family farming. (Government of Brazil)
Christian Menegatti is the new Strategic Marketing leader at Koppert Brazil. With over 30 years of experience, he has worked at FMC, DuPont and Syngenta. (Koppert Brasil)
Alarming increase in the occurrence of several races of cyst nematodes, especially race 4+, in soybean farms in the State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Yield losses can reach up to 30 bags per hectare, depending on the cultivars and soil conditions. According to Tânia Santos, a researcher at Fundação MT, the State is home to 11 races of cyst nematodes, and the 2024/25 harvest saw significant increases in some of them, including races 2, 4 and 4+. (Fundação MT)
Federal Government intends to launch a “Center of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition” before COP 30, which will take place in Belém, State of Pará. The Ministry of Agriculture’s special advisor for strategic projects, José Carlos Polidoro, stated that the objective is to support the national fertilizer production chain, especially the production hubs distributed across nine Brazilian States. (MAPA)
Brazil signed new agreements with Nigeria regarding power-generation and agriculture, including energy transition and fertilizers, during the 2nd Session of the Brazil-Nigeria Strategic Dialogue Mechanism in Abuja. The meeting marked the resumption of the main bilateral forum between the two countries after more than a decade. The agreements were signed by the Vice President and Minister of Industry and Commerce, Geraldo Alckmin. (MDIC)
On June 24th, was published the Legislative Decree No. 174, formalizing Brazil’s accession to the Budapest Treaty. With this measure, the country formally joins the international system that facilitates patent protection for biotechnological inventions, especially those based on microorganisms. According to Pedro Moreira, a pharmacist and industrial property agent, the new legislation represents a significant advance for the Brazilian intellectual property system, with direct impacts on several sectors, particularly in the case of biopesticides and bioinputs for agriculture. (AIPPI)
ApexBrasil and the Ministry of Agriculture organized on June 30th a workshop to discuss new investments to the fertilizer sector. The opening was attended by ApexBrasil’s Business Director, Ana Paula Repezza. Representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), Development, Industry, Commerce and Services (MDIC) and Mines and Energy (MME) have participated. The event was attended by approximately 250 participants, including government agencies, associations and companies involved in the national agricultural production chain. (ApexBrasil)
Logistics costs in the Persian Gulf will remain the main bottleneck for fertilizers. “At just under 40 kilometers wide at its narrowest point, the Strait can be described as a veritable ‘nutrient highway.’ Not only does 20% to 30% of global seaborne oil pass through these waters, they are arguably the biggest bottleneck for the global urea trade”, said Bruno Fonseca, a specialist in the sector. (Rabobank)
With an investment of US$ 11.97 million, Unity Agro opened up a factory to manufacture “functional” fertilizers in Curitiba, State of Paraná, on June 26th. According to the company, the investment – 80% from its own resources and 20% financed by BNDES and traditional banks – was applied to the construction, equipment, laboratories and mainly to Research, Development and Innovation. (Unity Agro)
Frederico Humberg, founder of grain trader AgriBrasil, estimates that tensions between Israel and Iran could impose losses of US$ 920 million on Brazilian grain farmers, based on higher costs of inputs such as urea, an essential nutrient for corn, whose price has recently risen by US$ 100 per tonne. (AgriBrasil)
Research coordinated by the Federal University of São Carlos seeks to develop a new sustainable herbicide. The project focuses on the synthesis of compounds capable of blocking the production of molecules related to photosynthesis. The research is focused on the enzyme 4-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD). “We developed molecules that do not harm the environment and are selective, that is, they negatively impact only the target plants, without damaging commercial crops. The HPPD enzyme differs between species, so we sought a compound that only affects the enzyme of the target plants”, said researcher Márcio Weber Paixão. (UFSCar)
Symbiomics has announced the completion of its “Series A” investment round. The investment was led by Corteva, Inc., through Corteva Catalyst, according to Rafael de Souza, CEO and co-founder of Symbiomics. The new resources will be used to intensify the discovery of microorganisms and advance research with gene editing, etc. (Symbiomics)
EuroChem announced Maicon Cossa as its new CEO, seeking to consolidate its presence in Brazil. (EuroChem Brasil)
Despite the recent ceasefire of the Iran – Israel conflict, the fertilizer market remains alert to possible disruptions. Mosaic’s country manager and president of the National Association for Fertilizer Distribution, Eduardo Monteiro, explains that the problem is not limited to urea, and that any shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz would have major impacts. “31% of the global supply of urea, 20% of the supply of monoammonium phosphate, and 44% of the supply of sulfur, which is used to produce phosphates, is transported through the Strait of Hormuz”, said Monteiro. (ANDA)
In compliance with court decisions, Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluations of S-metolachlor 960 g/L EC from Lemma; metribuzim 480 g/L SC from Meghmani; and trifloxystrobin 150 + prothioconazole 175 g/L SC from Rainbow. (Official Gazette, Resolutions No. 2358, 2359, 2360, dated 06/26/2025, Anvisa)
Cibra fertilizer company wants to produce more fertilizers in Brazil. The company’s project for 2025 involves investing in increasing the efficiency of its 13 factories to increase production without increasing its labour force and without high operational costs. (Cibra Fertilizantes)
Anvisa rejects toxicological reclassification of glyphosate-ammonium 715 g/kg WG and glyphosate-ammonium 792.5 g/kg WG from Monsanto. (Official Gazette, Resolution No. 2367, dated 06/26/2025, Anvisa)
Anvisa approved the toxicological evaluation of a New Technical Product – active ingredient not yet registered in Brazil – technical tetraniliprole, from Bayer. (Official Gazette, Anvisa No. 2365 dated 06/26/2025, Anvisa)
Ministry of Agriculture published a list containing 151 requests for formulated product pesticide registration. (Official Gazette, Act No. 25 of 06/23/2025, MAPA)
Roberto Rosa is the new commercial director of the West Business Unit of Grupo Sinova, an agricultural inputs company. (Sinova Group)
20 pesticide registration requests were withdrawn in response to the registrants’ requests, and 2 approved registrations were cancelled. (Official Gazette, Act No. 27, dated 06/27/2025, MAPA)
The Brazilian Association of Bioinput Industries met with Federal Congressman Beto Richa, President of the Industry, Commerce and Services Committee of the Chamber of Deputies [Brazilian Lower House of Congress]. The Director of International Relations Mauro Brant Heringer introduced the Association and discussed priority issues for the sector. (Abinbio)
On June 27th, the Ministry of Agriculture published an authorization for the employee Rogerio Pereira da Silva to travel abroad as the Chief of the Regional Service of Minor Crops, of the General Coordination of Pesticides and Related Products, of the Department of Plant Health and Agricultural Inputs, of the Secretariat of Agricultural Defense, in order to participate in the Codex Committee on Pesticide Residues, to be held in Santiago, Chile, from September 6th to 14th, 2025, with expenses paid by the Government. (DOU, Orders dated 06/26/2025, MAPA)
UPL Brasil has reached an unprecedented milestone in its history. In 2025, it will launch ten new products in a single year. This was stated by Rogério Castro, the company’s CEO, during an event held in the research and development area in Pereiras, State of São Paulo. “I have never experienced a year like this in my 35-year career. There have been periods when we have not launched any products”, said Castro. (UPL Brasil)
The new management of the Seed Pathology Committee, linked to the Brazilian Seed Technology Association, aims to strengthen the health of seeds produced in Brazil. The committee is headed by coordinator Norimar D´Ávila Denardin, managing partner and researcher at the Center for Biotechnology in Agriculture, and vice-coordinator Carla Corrêa, CEO of CLC AgroCapacitação. “We need to ensure quality from the laboratory to the field,” says Denardin. One of the management’s priorities is to create a network for standardizing and validating phytopathological analyses, involving universities and public and private research institutions. According to Denardin, the sector’s bottlenecks include the shortage of specialized professionals, limited infrastructure resources, and the lack of standardized diagnostic methodologies. (Abrates)
In tomato farming, whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmits viruses, especially begomovirus (geminivirus) and crinivirus, which can drastically reduce productivity. According to Gustavo Oliveira, global tomato breeding manager at Enza Zaden, these viruses compromise crop quality and yields, which makes them a major concern for farmers. (Enza Zaden)
Latin America
Gilson Felizatti is the new market development coordinator for ICL South America. (ICL Growing Solutions)
The National Service for Agri-Food Health and Quality of Argentina has updated regulations on phytosanitary products. The measure seeks to simplify procedures for the agricultural sector and incorporate more rigorous scientific and international criteria. Resolution No. 458/2025 replaces old regulations and introduces a more agile system for those who manufacture, import or sell phytosanitary products. One of the most significant advances is the adoption of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. (Senasa)
An inspection by the Environment Secretariat of Buenos Aires, Argentina, indicated serious irregularities at the Atanor plant in San Nicolás, due to the improper discharge of industrial effluents into soil near the banks of the Paraná River. “This is not an accident, but rather a systematic pattern of pollution, and we are dealing with a repeat offender who has already been convicted of causing irreversible damage to the Paraná River”, said Greenpeace’s biodiversity expert Agostina Rossi Serra. (ADA; Greenpeace)
Conflict in the Middle East is impacting the wheat market in Argentina. The wheat-urea exchange rate is at its highest level in three years. The Rosario Stock Exchange highlighted that there will be direct impacts on farmers who have not yet decided to buy fertilizers or who were waiting to see if the weather would create better opportunities in regions affected by excessive humidity. (BCR)
Red Surcos, an agrochemical company in Argentina, wants to double production capacity. “We are already investing this money to continue our local expansion, with new products based on nanotechnology, mainly herbicides. But we are also investing in international growth, especially in Brazil, where we have exclusive rights to several important hormone products for a period of 20 years”, said Sebastián Calvo, president of the company. (Red Surcos)
Lower productivity, lower margins and more challenges. This is what a recent study by the National Institute of Agricultural Technology – INTA in the Pergamino region of Argentina reveals about agriculture carried out without pesticides. The study sheds light on the impact of restrictions on the use of pesticides in the region, in force in Pergamino since 2019 due to a court decision. “The lower costs… are not enough to compensate for the drop in performance. Therefore, the gross margin obtained is lower”, said Andrés Llovet, researcher at INTA. (INTA)
The government of Costa Rica increased the admissible level of pesticides in water and replaced the concept of admissible value with “alert levels.” If “alert levels” are detected, government authorities will conduct risk analyses for each case. The Executive Branch increased the limit for pesticides in drinking water through an amendment to Executive Decree No. 38924-S, published on June 24th. The previous version of the regulation established that if the presence of pesticides in drinking water was detected, the Ministry of Health would be required to issue a health order to suspend distribution. (Government of Costa Rica)
Pesticide spraying is causing the death of beehives in the Soconusco region, Mexico, said Acela Barrera López, a beekeeper and representative of the National Association of Bee Veterinary Specialists. According to López, at least 50% of the region’s hives are being lost as a direct consequence of the misuse of agrochemicals on crops. (ANMVEA)
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