Oxiquímica's Marketing Manager talks about the pesticide market in Brazil

Marcelo Figueira is the Marketing Manager for Brazil at Oxiquímica Agrociência. A professional with 25 years of experience in the agribusiness, Figueira has worked in the commercial and marketing areas and worked with all crops of economic importance in the agricultural sector in Brazil. He has experience in the international market acting as Product Manager LATAM Region (21 countries in Latin America, including Mexico and Central America). Figueira did Forestry Engineering from the Federal University of Lavras, in 1995.

1. Throughout 2019, Difere was touted as the product to control important diseases in large crops, such as Asian soybean rust and Ramularia in cotton. What is the growth perspective in this fungicide market for the company? Does Oxiquímica foresee more fungicide launches for application in other crops?

The Multisite Fungicide and Bactericide Difere was, in 2012, the first Multisite fungicide registered in Brazil for disease control and resistance management in the soybean culture, and later we extended the registration to the Cotton Culture. Oxiquímica has always been at the forefront in terms of disease control, leaf nutrition and application technology, and has been following the need for the use of multisite fungicides in large crops for years, and in addition to being a pioneer in this segment, it is aware of the growing need of these products to manage resistance, control the disease complex and protect fungicides at specific sites - where the adoption of this technology is already around 70% of the cultivated soy area and continues to grow gradually. 

We, at Oxiquímica, have been growing with this market since the beginning, which is one of our specialties. In 2020, Oxiquímica launched the Revolutionary Fungicide "Audaz" – a combination of a Carboxamide with a multisite in a Liquid formulation (SC). Audaz arrived in the Brazilian market as an innovation in disease control in soy, cotton and other crops to revolutionize the concept of disease control and resistance management in one product. And we have not stopped there, as we are already working to maintain our pace in launching innovations for the next harvests, always thinking about the rural producer, his safety and the environment, with innovative formulations, high performance and ease of handling.  

2. Oxiquímica also operates in the market for emulsifiable oils and other products that enable improvements in the spraying process. What are the benefits of these products? Currently how big is this market?

Oxiquímica works with three segments within the input market: Plant Protection, Foliar Nutrition and Application Technology, with expertise in innovative and high-tech formulations. Emulsifiable oils are part of our Application Technology portfolio, and in this segment, we have established products in the market, which are benchmarks in quality, such as Veget Oil, Vision and Orix, - high purity vegetable oil, methylated soybean oil and mineral oil, respectively.

With high investment in laboratory equipment, a research laboratory and manufacturing plant, Oxiquímica has developed its oil-based formulations respecting the need and characteristics of the crops and products that are used in the mixtures necessary to control pests and diseases. The benefits obtained when using a high-quality emulsifiable oil in the spray syrup are many, which include improving the quality of the syrup, reducing drift in the application, better spread and adhesion on the leaves of the plants, better adherence and consequently a better yield and control of biological targets, which can be used when spraying with a tractor and aerially. The market for emulsifiable oils is highly dependent on the pesticide market, and grows basically in the same proportion,

3. The decreasing demand for copper has reduced the price of this metal, even in this period of COVID-19. What should be the impact of copper-based pesticides on the national market?

The pesticide market, in general, is heavily influenced by foreign exchange, especially in a country such as Brazil. Pesticides based on copper or that have this active ingredient in their formulation are no different. At this time of a global pandemic, there may be a downward movement in the demand for copper. On the other hand, we are experiencing a critical moment of appreciation of the dollar, which, in fact, has affected more than anything else the composition of the value of the products. In any case, our products will remain within the standard of values that is determined by the market, always remaining an excellent alternative for the producer when it comes to disease control and fundamental resistance management.

4. In general, how were the first months of 2020 compared to 2019? What are the prospects and challenges that Oxiquímica foresees for the next months of 2020?

We started the year in a somewhat unusual manner, due to the global situation that we do not need to mention again. Within this scenario, taking into account the fact that Agribusiness mainly from Brazil, it is an extremely solid sector, as there is an implicit need due to the demand for food and, in our case, exports of commodities. In the first months of 2020, as against 2019, despite the apprehension and behavioral changes that we all went through at Oxiquímica, we kept our businesses and operations very well balanced and growing. We always followed the guidelines set by the federal and local health authorities, but with a focus on serving our main customer, the rural producer. In the coming months, we will have many challenges, mainly because we have to change our entire customer service structure. Despite these challenges, Agribusiness continues to move solidly and vigorously, and in this scenario, Oxiquímica has made every effort to adapt and maintain its operations so that our client is not harmed.

5. Oxiquímica is one of the few pesticide companies which is 100% national. What are the major challenges in this market? The search for partnerships is a practice that has been increasing in recent years. Do you have or intend to have some kind of partnership?

Since its foundation, Oxiquímica has been a 100% Brazilian company, which makes us very proud and at the same time very responsible, as we are constantly competing in the market with multinational giants. Within this scenario, we have many and great challenges, such as accessing the entire national territory, maintaining our investments in innovation, maintaining the quality of services and products being competitive and having a continuous process of evolution in technology. Oxiquímica has knowledge and expertise acquired over almost thirty years of its existence, based on its understanding of the market, the needs of the farmer, and the relationship with our customers. That has led us to develop high-quality products and services, technology, convenience and partnership with the rural producer, maintaining our growth and development in such a competitive and concentrated market. Through all this, it is necessary to search for strategic partners that can contribute to the development of the company, and Oxiquímica has been using these strategies for many years, always looking for solid and long-term partnerships.