Paraguayans import Emamectin Benzoate to smuggle to Brazil

Paraguayans are importing a lot more Emamectin Benzoate than they need and smuggle the surpluses to Brazil. The complaint was made by agronomist Francisco Regis Meireles, who was recently exonerated after two years as the head of Paraguay's National Service of Quality and Plant Health (Senave).

"At the Senave, there were 14 registrations of this product with concentrations ranging from 10% to 30%. We have done a national survey calculating how much was sold to the final consumer. Paraguay imports a lot more agrochemicals than it needs. Everything that is imported and formulated in Paraguay is to send illegally to Brazil”, said Meireles.

The former head of the agency reveals its contrary position to the use of this product, citing the position of the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), which considers the substance dangerous. He affirms that Paraguay does not have sufficient studies nor the capacity to research the effects of the agrochemicals and the conclusions of researches are based on those developed in other countries.

"What we have done is to establish maximum concentration of 10% for the Emamectin Benzoate. Even though, we see that a concentration of up to 30% is sold in the black market, which is beyond the legally permitted,” he affirms.

"The Ministry of Agriculture of Brazil, Kátia Abreu, called me some time ago and told me that he would like to speak urgently with Paraguay's Agriculture Minister with the goal to seek to balance the use of agrochemicals according to the demand in the region. In Brazil, people are very worried about the volume of products that goes from Paraguay to Brazil,” he concludes.