Newsletter AgriBrasilis - April 11th
Ulisses Antuniassi is a professor at the Faculty of Agricultural Sciences of the State University of São Paulo, an agronomist graduated from the State University of Londrina, M.Sc and Ph.D in agronomy from the State University of São Paulo, and a postdoctoral fellow from the Silsoe Research Institute.
Antuniassi is a specialist in pesticide and adjuvant application technology and in precision agriculture.
The use of drones in agriculture was regulated in Brazil by the Ministry of Agriculture only in 2021, through Ordinance No. 298. Its main purposes are: mapping areas, control of planting failures, identification of weeds and pests, and pesticide application.
What are the main precautions to avoid drift during agricultural spraying?
To avoid drift we should follow the concepts of good practices. This answer would be too long, but I can summarize it as follows:
The usage of drones for spraying is growing, but this modality is still not recommended in most pesticide leaflets. What are the differences regarding factors such as dilution, concentration, application efficiency and other aspects?
Drones should be seen as a new application modality and the recommendations in leaflets should be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, so that the application parameters are optimized in each scenario. For example, in drone applications we use spray concentrations similar to conventional aerial applications, but the droplet generation technology is more similar to that used in terrestrial application. This can cause efficacy issues in applications and needs to be reassessed for each product individually.
(Access the full article on the AgriBrasilis website)
Argentina: Resumed exports of chicken meat. Cases of avian flu on industrial farms had caused suspension of shipments in February. “We aim to readjust certificates to the new sanitary condition with importer countries and unlock exports of chicken meat, protein by-products and eggs”, explained the vice president of Senasa, Rodolfo Acerbi . Agreements were to resume shipments from disease-free regions to Russia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, and Japan. Argentina also seeks to reestablish exports of poultry genetics to Mercosur and Mexico. ( Senasa )
Brazil: Jefferson Coriteac is the new President of the National Agency for Technical Assistance and Rural Extension – Anater, for the next four years. (Ministry of Agrarian Development)
Cooperativa dos Cafeicultores da Zona de Três Pontas – Cocatrel, in the State of Minas Gerais, reached revenues of US$ 306.16 million in 2022, a growth of 14.1% compared to 2021. The cooperative’s profit reached US$ 6.36 million, 202.79% more than in the previous year. Cocatrel expanded its corn and soybean operations in the period. ( Cocatrel - Cooperativa dos Cafeicultores da Zona de Três Pontas )
Administrative Council for Economic Defense authorized the acquisition of Kimberly-Clark’s tissue paper division in Brazil by Suzano Papel e Celulose. (CADE; Suzano Papel e Celulose S.A. )
Agrogalaxy had a 64% decrease in net income, that was US$ 10.67 million in 2022. High interest rates are one of the reasons given for the performance, that made the company avoid plans for mergers and acquisitions in 2023. ( AgroGalaxy )
Mexico: Increased imports of pork and production costs harm pig farmers. Farmers request the creation of a price regulation agency to reduce gap between the farmer’s profit and final price of the product. For five years, pig farmers have suffered increases in production costs, pressured by input prices, such as for oilseeds. An increase of 40 to 45% in production costs was recorded, compared to 2019. (União Pecuária Regional de Querétaro)
Recommended by LinkedIn
Sergio Coutinho is the Co-CEO and founder of Zasso, with a bachelor’s degree in business administration from IBMEC SP ( Insper Instituto de Ensino e Pesquisa ).
Zasso is a company specialized in weed control through electricity, without the use of chemicals. In October 2021, CNH Industrial, the second largest agricultural equipment manufacturer in the world, became a minor shareholder in the company.
For which crops is the system suitable? Where is it already being successfully used?
The technology is being used throughout the urban scenario, by public or private agents, for cleaning and maintenance of streets and highways, and in facilities sectors.
In the agricultural sector, electric weeding is being used in virtually all scenarios, both for large and small farmers, in citrus, coffee, grapes, bananas…
Manual weeding performs only leaf control, with no damage to the roots and has an average durability of 20-30 days between treatments. Through the definitive elimination of the invasive plant via the root, electric weeding has an average durability of 70 to 90 days between treatments.
The decrease in annual costs associated with weeding in cities is five times lower compared to the traditional mechanical method.
(Access the full article on the AgriBrasilis website)
In Brazil, Plastibras Dutos Corrugados announced the acquisition of Apoloplast Ind e Com de Plásticos Ltda, from Valinhos, State of São Paulo. Located in Cuiabá, State of Mato Grosso, Plastibras is one of five Brazilian companies that transform pesticide packaging returned by agribusiness into corrugated ducts used in civil construction and power plants.
Nutriterra, a company of liquid fertilizer, will invest US$ 380,000 in the province of Tucumán, in Argentina. According to the governor of the province, Juan Manzur, the investment will be aimed at creating jobs in the region. (Nutriterra S.A.)
2,180 kg of expired, in bad condition and banned pesticides were collected in the Mostazal region, in Chile, at an event held by the National Association of Manufacturers and Importers of Agricultural Phytosanitary Products and by the Campo Limpo Program. “…we want to meet the need that farmers and agricultural companies have to correctly manage their expired phytosanitary products and other packaging that cannot go through the triple washing process”, said Patricia Villarreal, general manager of Afipa and of the Campo Limpo Program. (AFIPA A.G.; CAMPOLIMPO Program)
Mexico has reduced glyphosate import quota by 50% for 2023. A maximum of 4,131 tonnes of formulated products and 314 tonnes of technical products can be imported. Quota for 2022 was 8,263 tonnes of formulated glyphosate and 628 tonnes of technical glyphosate, while in 2021 it was 6,526 tonnes and 1,257 tonnes, respectively. Gradual elimination of the use of glyphosate is planned, with a total ban after March 31st, 2024. (COFEPRIS)
Nitrofert has become the second largest company in the fertilizer business in Colombia. According to the president of the company, Jorge Pacheco, investments of more than US$ 30 million were made in the country. “Colombia is a country with great potential for development in agriculture, but with a soil fertility rate of approximately 300 kg of fertilizer/hectare,” said Pacheco.