AgroPages-UPL's Aplique Bem reaches 68 million farmers in Brazil-Agricultural news

By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for Agropages

The “Aplique Bem” Program (Apply Well) by Indian-based multinational, UPL, has traveled more than one million kilometers and reached 68 million farmers in Brazil. This is an initiative that aims to optimize the spraying of agrochemicals through the training and capacity building of applicators.

The “Aplique Bem” Program,born in 2007, is the result of a partnership between IAC (Instituto Agronômico) and an Arysta LifeScience company, which was later acquired by UPL. This initiative, which lasted 12 years, is based on the premise that in Brazil, the level of education among pesticide applicators is low and, therefore, there is great difficulty in understanding past information only in written form or in the same formal education set-up.

“Effective and safe spraying is possible through the use of a good sprayer, well regulated and operated by a skilled worker. And such functions and actions are performed directly on farms, with the equipment and crops which the workers are accustomed to,” explained Humberto Ramos, researcher at the IAC Engineering and Automation Center.

A team of agronomists traveled across Brazil's agricultural frontier in mobile laboratories to offer technical expertise on the right use of agrochemicals, from quality and equipment regulation to the best practices in the area. “Aplique Bem has traveled more than 1 million kilometers and has reached almost 68 million farmers,” said Ramos.

“Aplique Bem” Program is a cost-free program for traning farmers, it’s neither linked to commercial appeal, products or any purchase needs nor has connection with agricultural auxiliary program (whose purpose is reducing penalties for the misuse of agrochemicals). A new assessment based on the test data shows that, after one or two years of action, over 90% of failures, including above-permitted residue limits, no longer exist.

“For its results, this is a multi-award winning project, having received the international award for Best Management Program in the world and has now reached seven other countries: Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Colombia, Ghana, Mali, Mexico and Vietnam,” concluded the IAC researcher.