Brazil classifies agrochemicals, inputs as essential products during COVID-19 pandemic

By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgroPages

The Brazilian Government decreed that the trading of agricultural inputs, including agrochemicals for crop protection, is paramount and will continue even during the quarantine period to counter the COVID-19 pandemic. According to Decree 10.282/2020, the activity of "prevention, control and eradication of plant pests and animal disease" is classified as "essential."

In addition, according to the decree, the Federal Government also considers essential and uninterrupted activities to be “sanitary and phytosanitary surveillance and certification,” and include the “inspection of food, products and derivatives of animal and vegetable origin” and “international agricultural surveillance.”
 
Provisional Measure (MP) Number 926 allows the government to determine the closure and opening of ports, highways or airports when this impacts essential public services and activities. According to the National Association of Distributors of Agricultural and Veterinary Inputs (ANDAV), any decree at the state or municipal level loses effect if it is at odds with what is established in the Presidency of the Republic Decree.

“The federal text lists services that are essential to meeting the urgent needs of the community. Therefore, they are considered to be those that endanger the survival, health or safety of the people if not provided, such as the production, distribution, marketing and delivery of food,” ANDAV stated.

The decree further reinforces, in articles 3 - § 3, the importance of maintaining all logistics necessary for essential activities.