NEWS ON LATIN AMERICAN AGRICULTURE
Lower wheat harvest forecast of 19 million tonnes due to dry weather. Soybean harvest is estimated at 41.2 million tonnes, while harvest reaches 75% of the planted area. (Rosario Board of Trade)
Wheat farmers are not carrying out no-till farming practices due to the proliferation of herbicide-resistant weeds. After years of no-till, farmers return to tillage practices. (Rosario Board of Trade)
Reappearing cases of citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama) in Tucumán, after almost 10 years. Phytosanitary alert status is declared due to the presence of the insect, vector of the Candidatus liberibacter spp. a bacterium, which causes greening, or huanglongbing disease. (National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service)
Beef exports decreased 49% in the 1st trimester of 2022 when compared to the same period of the previous year. (Bolivian Institute of Foreign Trade)
President of the state-owned company Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales Bolivianos, Armin Dorgathen, announces investments of US$ 387 million for the construction of a biodiesel plant. (YPFB)
Public Prosecutor’s Office requested to the Court of Justice to Anvisa be fined U$ 3 thousand per day of delay in the toxicological evaluation of carbendazim. Prosecutor Ana Carolina Roman says that the Agency exceeded a two-year period for evaluation, without having completed 6 of the 9 stages of the process and without a timetable for completion of the evaluation. (Ana Carolina Roman, prosecutor of the Brazilian Public Prosecutor’s Office)
Ministry of Agriculture announces budget distribution of the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program. US$ 197 million will be made available over the next few months, with the objective of helping farmers in the acquisition of rural insurance. (Mapa)
The Gross Value of Agricultural Production in 2022 shall reach US$ 246 billion, an increase of 2.7% compared to 2021. Soybean, sugarcane, cotton, and corn are the main crops responsible for the increase. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Russian exports to Brazil doubled since the beginning of the war with Ukraine, reaching the highest level in the last six years. (Ministry of Economy)
Arab Potash Company, a Jordanian potash manufacturer, announces it shall increase supply to Brazil. (Arab Potash Company)
State of São Paulo leads fruit production, totaling 18.11 million tonnes, approximately 35% of the country’s total. The amount is almost triple of the production from the second-biggest producer, State of Bahia, with about 5 million tonnes. In addition to the harvest of orange of 13.7 million tonnes, avocado, banana, persimmon, fig, and tangerine cultivations stand out. (Federation of Agriculture and Livestock of the State of São Paulo)
Brazil and Japan sign an agreement to develop digital and precision agriculture. The first actions of the project shall start in the second half of 2022. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Director of Anvisa, Cristiane Jourdan claims to be under political pressure to end her term, which officially ends on July 25, 2022. The director argues for her permanence. Jourdan was appointed for a mandate of one year and seven months, the remaining time of the term of the current president, Antônio Barra Torres, who assumed the presidency of the Agency. The standard term of office for Anvisa directors is 5 years. (Cristiane Jourdan, Anvisa’s director)
Confirmed shipment of 30 thousand tonnes of rice to Mexico. This is the second shipment from Brazil to Mexico, with 25 thousand tonnes being exported in October of 2021. (Federation of Rice Producers Associations of Rio Grande do Sul)
National Institute of Colonization and Agrarian Reform suspends activities and cancels events across the country due to a lack of funds. There are no forecasts for when the Institute will receive resources. (Incra)
The country is the world’s only producer and exporter of cape gooseberry, with around 36 companies exporting the fruit. (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development)
31% increase in GMO cultivation in the country, totaling 150,000 planted hectares. Corn is the main GMO plant cultivated. (ICA)
Decree published in 2020 prohibits imports of genetically modified yellow corn after 2024. A deficit of 17 million tonnes, however, indicates that the country will not be self-sufficient in corn production until that time. (Bayer)
The Agri-food trade balance has recorded a surplus of more than US$ 3 billion since the beginning of the year, which represents 3% more than in 2021. The value of agri-food exports grew 21% in the first quarter, totaling US$ 1.735 billion. (Agricultural Markets Consulting Group; Agrifood and Fisheries Information Service)
Declared phytosanitary alert due to the detection of the small hive beetle (Aethina tumida). The pest is native to the African continent and responsible for serious damage to bee colonies. (National Service of Quality and Animal Health)
Government approves an emergency decree authorizing the purchase of almost 250 thousand tonnes of fertilizers, especially urea. Acquisition will be made by Agrorural without any taxation. (Ministry of Agriculture)
Declared an agricultural emergency for 90 days in the livestock and dairy sectors due to weather conditions. (Ministry of Agriculture)
A meeting was held with the government of Vietnam, aiming to expand ties of agricultural and livestock cooperation, in addition to seeking investment in research for the production of seeds. (Vietnamese Academy of Agricultural Sciences)
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