Syngenta inaugurates factory to produce Elatus with Pepite formulation in Brazil

Syngenta inaugurated on July 29 its first unit in Latin America to develop the Elatus fungicide, using the Pepite formulation, introducing a product with water soluble granules. The company has invested US$43 million (equivalent to R$107 million) in the construction of the 8,500-meter plant in the municipality of Palínia, São Paulo.

The factory will exclusively produce Elatus, a fungicide used to combat Asian Rust in soybean crops. "While planning the development of the plant and product, we recognized that the level of demand expected in Brazil would require an investment of this magnitude. We are already entering our third year of sales in Brazil and have earned more than US$700 million. We aim to boost these earnings and gain market share," stated Laércio Giampani, president of Syngenta in Brazil.

The unit has the capacity to produce 4,000 tons of the product, a limit that the company aims to reach by next year. "But we have already projected that the capacity will double as needed," remarked Sandro Carvalho, unit manager. The factory is automated and relies on a staff of 45 people divided into three shifts, working seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Previously, the product sold in Brazil was produced at units in France and Germany.

The technology was launched in 2014. When tested on 200 hectares of crops during the 2015/2016 cycle, with the crop being monitored by the company, producers found their soybean yield increased by 3.3 bags per hectare. "If the product were used as a standard seed treatment across the country, two million hectares could have better productivity," remarked Robison Serafim, portfolio manager at Syngenta.