Protective fungicide market moves USD 450 million in Brazil

By Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages

The consultancy Spark Smater Decisions uniquely revealed to AgroPages the BIP (Business Intelligence Panel) study for the segment of protective fungicides for soybeans in the 2019/20 season in Brazil. Used mainly in the resistance management of the fungus that causes Asian rust, these inputs moved about USD 450 million in the harvest.

The result represented an increase of almost 40% above the 2018/19 cycle, and their participation increased from 13% to 16% in the total fungicide market (USD 2.85 billion). According to Spark, leader in the development of studies for agribusiness companies in Brazil, in the 2019/20 cycle the adoption of at least one application of protective fungicides occurred in approximately 70% of the area cultivated with the oilseed.

“The expectation is that this segment will continue to grow in a sustainable manner in the coming harvests, given the difficulties of the producer to control Asian rust. Increasing the resistance of the disease-causing fungus requires continuity in the efficient performance of the so-called resistance management. This operation requires preventive applications and rotation between fungicides with different modes of action during the harvest”, explains André Dias, agronomist and managing partner at Spark.

The consultants' previous surveys support the executive's assessment. According to Dias, in the 2016-17 period, BIP Spark found that the average adoption of protective fungicides was 38%. "In the last three harvests, the application of these products has consolidated, reaching almost seventy percent of the total area cultivated with oilseeds, this of 36 million hectares in the areas covered by the research."

Also according to André Dias, the rates of adoption of protective fungicides grow consistently in all soy producing regions. “The producer who adheres to the handling with these products makes an average of two applications during the crop cycle”, concludes the executive.