Brazil Govt facilitates import of emamectin benzoate against Helicoverpa

The Brazil Federal Government has taken steps to facilitate the import and the use of emamectin benzoate responding to the request made by the representatives of the productive sector, facing the worsening of the Helicoverpa armigera caterpillar attacks at the soybean, corn, cotton, beans and tomatoes crops.

It was published at the DiarioOdifical da Uniao on January 16th the Ordinance 31, from the Department of Agriculture, with amendments of articles from Decree No. 1,109, of November 9th, 2013, which deals with authorization of import emamectin benzoate. The changes seek to make faster the process of import and use of the insecticide used to control the caterpillar.

The Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA) emphasizes the importance authorize of these two amendments. The first measure allows states to hold an estimate of the area occupied by crops attacked by Helicoverpa caterpillar, within the validity period of sanitary emergency, with the objective of quantifying the volume to be imported of emamectin benzoate.

According to the data, it is possible to calculate the need of the product. At CNA’s report, this is a way to facilitate the import, because, until now, the required volume was quantified from information of each affected property, a procedure that delays the import process.

Another highlight was the removal of the dead line restriction for issuance of the import permit, which should occur after the publication of Ordinance No. 1,109. Now producers and importing companies may use allowances made in the period preceding the publication of the decree of November, as well as using lots of product that were already imported in a previous opportunity.

Helicoverpa armigera is a pest that has raged for all agricultural regions of Brazil. Its control has high production costs, a factor which added to production losses, has compromised the producers’ income. Last season, 2012/2013, losses totaled R$ 10 billion. For this year, the CNA's initial estimates are even more significant losses, of approximately R$ 18 billion.