Oxiteno intends to expand its production capacity for agribusiness solutions

AgroPages recently conducted an interview with Adriano Sales de Oliveira, Research and Development Manager from Oxiteno, to explore deeper about its agrochemical business.

Q1: Could you please briefly introduce Oxiteno’s Agrochemical division and the main Agrochemical related adjuvants of your company?

A: One of the consequences of global population growth and the increase in life expectancy has been an increase in food consumption. These trends favor agribusiness, a sector which has been challenged to be more sustainable and more productive, while at the same time seeking alternatives to reduce socio-environmental impacts and to mitigate the effects of climate change. This scenario demonstrates that there is significant room for the segment to evolve even further, making it a priority market for Oxiteno. 

Within the Company, the Agrochemicals division has been the object of increasing investments and the focus of many projects involving innovation. This allows Oxiteno to offer more effective solutions customized to the needs of its clients. Approximately 25% of the Company’s revenue is generated from this division. The area has been researching technologies to increase agricultural production per unit of area planted, to allow for smaller product doses and to reduce energy consumption during preparation of the formulations.

Our solutions – emulsifiers, dispersants, wetting and gelling agents for crop protection products – promote stability in a wide range of formulations, facilitating application of the products and optimizing agronomic efficiency. We also produce specialty solvents that can be used to solubilize active ingredients, as well as additives for use in liquid and solid fertilizers. 

We will present a new adjuvant to the market in June and announce the expansion of Oxiteno’s production capacity for its agribusiness solutions in the near future.

Q2: What are the main markets and strategic planning for Oxiteno’s agrochemical products?

A: Within this segment, Oxiteno’s main markets include herbicides, adjuvants, fungicides and insecticides. To increase market share, the Company has invested in increasing its production capacity and capabilities in research and innovation, with a focus on clients in Latin America and the United States. 

Q3: What is the trend change of agricultural adjuvants regarding application in agricultural production? Could you please introduce the impact of this change to the R&D process?

A: New demands for adjuvants are linked to increased productivity in the field, the improvement in products’ cost-benefit relationships and the technical challenge of improving efficacy when applying the active ingredients. These scenarios require new solutions from the chemical industry that produce very specific effects; including bonding agents, evaporation reducers and penetrating agents. When solutions can produce more specific outcomes, the efficiency of crop protection products tends to increase. That’s why we are using increasingly more molecules in our research and development activities. 

Q4: What is your vision for the agrochemical adjuvant industry?

A: Given the increased demand for crop protection products, driven in part by climate change and the expectation for increased productivity, we hope to see an increase in the use of more specific products. The expectation is that adjuvants will become even more important to the management of pests in the field, serving as agents that optimize results during application of the products, while also providing benefits that facilitate the activities of farmers.