Overview by AgriBrasilis (April 03rd - 09th)

Relaunched “Argentine Bioproduct Seal”, incorporating new categories, including bio-inputs for agriculture. The tool promotes opportunities to increase the value of agro-industry products, by-products, and residues, creating a new production chain. (Ministry of Agriculture)

Wheat harvest increases in the first three months of the 2021/22 campaign. More than 1.3 million tonnes were milled, 4% more compared to the same period in the previous campaign (Córdoba Cereal Exchange)

Intense frosts in the last days of March and early April damage crops in several regions. Soybean and corn could be the most affected. (Buenos Aires Grain Exchange; National Weather Service)

Government determines the import of up to 10 thousand tonnes of wheat flour to guarantee market supply and avoid rising bread prices. The purchase will be made with resources from the country’s Revolving Food Security Fund. (Federal government)

Announced discount of 32.5% on financing for farmers affected by drought. Discount applies to Pronaf installments maturing between January 1 and July 31, 2022. Government opens extraordinary credit of US$ 261.42 million to grant discounts. (Ministry of Agriculture)

Rice farmers in the State of Rio Grande do Sul have harvested 563 thousand hectares so far, around 60% of the total area, reaching an average yield of 8,545 kg/ha. (Secretariat of Agriculture of Rio Grande do Sul State)

Preview of the tax burden (weight of taxes and other taxes on the economy) rose to 33.9% of the Gross Domestic Product in 2021. In 2020, the indicator had reached 31.76%. According to the National Treasure, the reversal of several tax exemptions and reductions granted during the Covid-19 pandemic and the recovery of economic activity after the 2020 contraction were factors that influenced the tax burden. (Brazilian National treasure)

Conilon coffee has a proliferation of African snail (Achatina fulica) in the north of the State of Espírito Santo, just a few weeks before harvest. The incidence of snails is justified by the high volume of rains in recent months. (Capixaba Institute for Research, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension)

Training course in pastures, offered by Embrapa Gado de Corte, is again offered to technicians and farmers in Campo Grande, State of Mato Grosso do Sul. Course topics include formation, management, biotic and abiotic stresses in pastures; concepts of integrated systems and sustainability; use of machinery; Cerrado soils, and fertilization; among others. (Embrapa Gado de Corte)

Cotrijal opens three new silos with a capacity of 4,065 tons each and a total investment of US$ 2.36 million. (Cotrijal)

Bean variety was launched by the State Center for Diagnosis and Research of Family Agriculture in the State of Rio Grande do Sul. Variety RS Centenário has a high average yield of 1,685 kg/hectare. (Ceafa)

Initiated call to prioritize the evaluation of pesticide authorization requests. The mechanism allows trade associations or organizations of agricultural producers, whether national or regional, to prioritize one or more pesticides according to their needs. Pesticides that apply for this prioritization process must already be included in the Agricultural and Livestock Service for their registration process, either in phase I or in phase II, and requests for new pesticides are not accepted. (Agricultural and Livestock Service)

Government removes import tariffs on 39 agricultural inputs for 12 months intending to reduce inflationary pressures and lower food production costs. (National Government)

It is recommended that farmers in Durango take advantage of prices and sell animals due to the intensification of the drought, which should happen from mid-April. More than 2 million head of cattle in Durango are at risk of being lost as drought is predicted to be extremely severe. (Livestock Union of the Social Sector)

GDP grows 4.2% in 2021, below expectations. In the last quarter of 2021, the economy experienced a variation of 0.6%. Agricultural and binational sectors pressured results downwards. (Central Bank of Paraguay)

Banana farmers reject the exclusion of the fruit in school meals provided by the government of Alto Paraná. The ordinance of the Ministry of Education intends to exclude bananas from school meals because low-quality fruits have been detected. Currently, 20,000 boxes of bananas are supplied a year through public tenders. (Government of Alto Paraná)

Corn exports in the first two months of 2022 dropped by 83% compared to the same period in 2021. Only 114,643 tonnes were exported in 2022, compared to 679,920 in the previous year. (Paraguayan Chamber of Exporters and Traders of Cereals and Oilseeds)

Agrarian Productive Development Program allocated 410 tons of guano (organic fertilizer) to 11 districts and three coffee associations in the Junín region, seeking to strengthen family farming. (Ministry of Agriculture)

Almost 2,000 tonnes of apples were exported in the first quarter of 2022, with Brazil being the main importer. (Ministry of Agriculture)