Paraguay’s Tecnomyl launches sustainable crop protection campaign

By Leonardo Gottems, Reporter for AgroPages

The Paraguayan agricultural pesticide company, Tecnomyl, part of the Sarabia Group, is promoting a crop protection awareness campaign, under the framework of the “International Year of Plant Health” declared by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Plant Protection Convention. 

The campaign aims to raise awareness of how related initiatives can help eradicate hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development. 

Walmor Roim (Tecnomyl Paraguay’s Marketing Manager) stated that through the campaign, titled, "The protection of your crops in our hands," Tecnomyl is showing its commitment to sustainable agriculture and food production, by developing solutions with lower effects on human health, animal health and the environment.

“Tecnomyl actively participates in the agricultural sector’s efforts to develop, produce and commercialize crop protection and plant nutrition solutions, to provide farmers with the most modern technologies while always bringing less aggressive products to the field for people and nature. Offering sustainable and modern solutions is part of our DNA as a company,” Roim said.

He added that Tecnomyl has received authorization from the FAO to join the campaign in Paraguay, Bolivia and Brazil, where it markets its own solutions and can add the campaign’s seal in its advertising materials.

“We are developing a nationwide campaign, titled, ‘The protection of your crops in our hands.’ Through the campaign, we are highlighting Tecnomyl's commitment to agriculture and food production in a safe and sustainable way. Our main message is that Tecnomyl reaffirms its commitment to the people of the field, bringing more innovative solutions to ensure food safety,” he explained.

Tecnomyl, the leader of the Paraguayan crop protection industry, adheres to this initiative. “With its products, which are quality line leaders, it contributes to a sustainable agriculture sector that helps generate the food, protection and energy that the world needs right now. Because today, protecting plants is protecting life,” said the company.

The campaign aims to create awareness of the importance of healthy plants, to achieve the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as highlight the impact of plant health on food security and ecosystems, and share the best practices to keep plants healthy while protecting the environment.

Tecnomyl is the campaign’s local representative. According to FAO data, plants make up 80% of the food we eat and produce 98% of the oxygen we breathe. However, in addition to facing the challenges caused by environmental degradation and climate change, they also face constant and growing threats from pests and diseases.

Each year, up to 40% of the world's food crops are lost to pests and diseases, causing annual losses of over $220 billion and leaving millions of people starving. Agriculture is the main source of income for poor rural communities, so measures to promote plant health are essential to achieving sustainable development.

"By preventing the spread and introduction of pests into new areas, governments, farmers and other actors in the food chain can save billions of dollars and ensure access to quality food," Tecnomyl added.

“Keeping plants and plant products free from pests and diseases also helps facilitate trade and ensure access to markets, especially for developing countries. To this end, it is important to promote adherence to internationally-harmonized phytosanitary regulations and standards. And when combating pests and diseases, farmers should adopt and policy makers should encourage the use of environmentally-friendly methods, such as integrated pest management, to help keep plants healthy while protecting the environment,” concluded the company.