GM technology limits jump of Brazilian agrochemicals consumption

The consumption of pesticides has risen less than registered in recent years in Brazil, industry data has shown, due to corn and soybean seeds becoming resistant to insects.

The technology suppresses the main pests and reduces the use of pesticides. The environmental gains are becoming a key argument, after more than a decade's worth of questions about the risks of genetically modified grain.

The volume of pesticides used in the country was growing 4 percent a year from 2010 and reached 825 thousand tons in 2012, according to the industry. Last year, the Brazilian production of pesticides (which covers two thirds of consumption) grew 3.9%, according to the Brazilian Institute of geography and Statistics (IBGE).

Imports, however, are growing at rates of 10 percent a year, according to the federal Government. Researchers from institutions like the Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, endorse projections of environmental organizations that link consumption around 1 million tons in 2013.

With resistance to insects, the participation of transgenic seeds reached 92% in soybeans, 90% in corn and 47% in cotton in Brazil, points out the International Service for the acquisition of Agro-biotech applications (ISAAA).

It has not yet been disclosed, if the participation of this technology will be included within the GMO area.

Bt technology has been combined with older technology that offer products like glyphosate tolerance that reduces the use of insecticides, but not necessarily the herbicides or fungicides. According to ISAAA, between 1996 and 2012, the transgenic insect-resistant and herbicide-tolerant avoided the use of 497 thousand tons of pesticides.

Largest consumer, Brazil represents a market around $8 billion to crop protection industry– about 20% of the global market. The industry reports a strong growth in consumption in Brazil and has followed the expansion of planted areas. The expansion index, for both cases, considering data from the National Union of industries (Sindag) and IBGE, was of 14% in the five-year period between 2007 and 2012.

In 2013, the productive sector accepted a high pesticide consumption more than planting. The area of soybeans and summer corn adds up to 36.4 million hectares, 3.4 percent more than in the previous year, estimates the Crop Expedition Gazeta do Povo. However, with the fear of severe attacks of the Caterpillar Helicoverpa armigera, the producers bought up to twice the amount of  crop protection products.

After the wave of Asian rust (which made growing use of fungicides in the past decade) the new plague raises the consumption of insecticides. From Maranhão to Rio Grande do Sul, there was at least one extra spraying against the Caterpillar. This indicates an increase above 20% in applications for this product. Not all the volume sold was applied, and half the crops have not yet been harvested, which prevents an accurate assessment of the consumption growth.

40 million acres of soybeans, corn and cotton use genetically modified seeds in Brazil in 2013/14, according to ISAAA. The country is the second that adopts more varieties, behind the United States (70 million) and ahead of Argentina (24 million).

825 thousand tons of pesticides were used by Brazil in 2012. About 2013 projections point to about 1 million, despite the national industry (which supplies 2/3 of the market) have recorded much lower growth of 3.9%, according to the IBGE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics).