Nitro enters Brazilian agribusiness with acquisition of companies

By Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages

Nitro Química, one of the world’s main producers of nitrocellulose and derivatives, announced in Brazil that it has also begun operations in the agribusiness segment. 

To expand its market presence and strengthen its portfolio, the company announced the acquisition of several biotechnology, plant nutrition and pest control companies.

In 2020, the Nitro Group had already acquired MCM Química Industrial, one of the largest producers of copper and zinc derivatives for agriculture. Also last year, Fast Agro, which has a broad portfolio in plant nutrition and physiology developed in more than 10 years of work with rural producers, was incorporated.

Nitro announced in 2021 the incorporation of Biocontrol Company, which is one of the pioneers in biopesticides in Brazil, with 26 years of experience in the market and a specialist in the production of fungi. Soon after, it reported an investment in Gênica, a biotechnology company that produces high-tech biological agents to prevent, reduce or eradicate pests and diseases in plantations.

“This acquisition is one of the milestones on Nitro's journey in agro in 2021, which in the second year of operations in the sector is already among the 10 largest companies in the segment. Nitro, which is already a major player in the sector, offers rural producers a robust portfolio of special fertilizers, plant nutrition, animal nutrition, soil fertilizers and biodefensives,” Nitro said.

Nitro stated that the objective of the acquisitions was to reinforce its commitment to work continuously to “develop solutions and technologies that improve people's lives. With the expansion into new markets and the reorganization of its business lines, the company, in 2020, renewed its brand and adopted the name Nitro.”

This year, Nitro completes 85 years since its inception. During this trajectory, Companhia Nitro Química Brasileira, founded in 1935 in the city of São Paulo, became a global producer of chemical specialties for several industrial sectors, with operations in seven countries and businesses in more than 70 countries.

Nitro now claims to be centralized on three fronts: Specialty Chemicals, Industrial Chemicals and Agribusiness. The strategy is to expand its product portfolio and operate in the agribusiness sector in Brazil. In addition, the company started the production and commercialization of pellet sulfur, manufactured in the most modern industrial plant in the country, located at the headquarters in São Paulo.