Benevia, Voliam Targo obtain definitive registration to combat Coffee Berry Borer in Brazil

Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) has approved the definitive registration for the agrochemicals Benevia and Voliam Targo, both made by Syngenta. The decision was taken jointly with the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) and the Brazilian Institute of Natural Environment and Renewable Resources (Ibama).

The authorization of products was commemorated as a victory for the sector, once the losses caused by the Berry Borer have hurt the crop on yields and the quality of the grain. The definitive registration also enables the production rotation and avoids resistance of the plague to the active ingredients.

The combat to the Coffee Berry Borer, one of the main plagues on coffee in Brazil, has become one of the biggest challenges for farmers, industries and product exporters, since the ban of endosulphan in 2013. The ban of the active ingredient, recognized by the low application cost and the efficiency in the field, provoked a higher incidence of the disease.

Besides these two agrochemicals, the sector awaits for two more products to be released. In January of 2016, Mapa released a list that defined the diseases and plagues with greater risk to Brazilian agriculture and the priority active ingredient to combat the Coffee Berry Borer. Molecules such as metaflumizone and the combination Bifenthrin + Acetamiprid appear in the list.