AgroPages-Paraquat ban in Brazil is not essential: Aenda-Agricultural news

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According to the Brazilian Association of Generic Pesticides (Aenda), the ban on paraquat herbicide, imposed by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa), was not necessary.

“It will be more rational to prohibit small users and allow it to be used for large-scale agriculture, because it is highly efficient and cheap,” Tulio de Oliveira, executive-director of Aenda, noted.

He admitted that this was a dangerous product, but argued the incidents occur among small farmers.

“The product was prohibited in China because Chinese agriculture mostly comprises small farmers. The Brazilian small farmers, who own nearly four million properties, do not have the level of instruction or discernment about the exact danger of the product, so it is better that they do not use it. In fact, there are many other options, so paraquat is not indispensable,” he said.

Oliveira observed that the herbicide was the most-used product to maintain cleanliness of the terrain in the non-tillage system before planting. “It is cheap and kills all the weeds. On the other hand, when paraquat is not used, the farmer makes combinations of products (Glyphosate, Dicamba, Glufosinate, 2,4-D, for instance). It will increase cost, but the product is not indispensable,” he affirmed.

He stressed that the product would be effectively prohibited only by September 22, 2020, according to Anvisa Resolution 177.

“If until then, the studies delivered prove that they are not mutagenic and have no links to Parkison’s disease, the decision will be reverted. The Resolution 177 imposes some obligatory measures to ease the risk of the product, which will demand efforts from the parties involved. Outside of that, people should be allowed to use the product until the decision is made in 2020,” he concluded.