CropChem: Key considerations for developing a formulation are understanding local characteristics/needs for the Latin American market

″The key considerations for developing a formulation to the Latin American market are understanding local characteristics/needs and to adapt products to the local reality or to generate a new formulation that fit these needs,″ said Rodrigo Leão, General Manager at CropChem in a recent interview with AgroPages. He also shared his viewpoint over the overview of crop protection formulation markets and relevant challenges for the Latin America market etc.

Rodrigo Leão, General Manager at CropChem

Could you introduce the overview of crop protection formulation markets & technologies in Latin America market, especially main formulation types and future development trend?
 
The Latin American market has larger proportions than most of other locations, with rare exceptions. Therefore, formulations need to be as concentrated as possible and must consider all different conditions they may face in each country, such as different water qualities, negative or extremely high temperatures, altitude’s differences, for example.

Nowadays, the market works with high concentrations and/or formulations that contain products that would already be mixed in a tank, such as oils, facilitating the application of them.
 
What are the core considerations for developing formulation suitable for Latin American market? What are the challenges & countermeasures? Could you share some advanced technologies to accelerate formulation innovation in this region? Tell us some successful cases of how your company develop innovation formulations.
 
The key considerations for developing a formulation to the Latin American market are understanding local characteristics/needs and to adapt products to the local reality or to generate a new formulation that fit these needs.

The main challenges are the big differences that each country presents, including altitudes, water quality, different temperatures, and climates within the same territory in these countries. And these differences are even bigger if we think about the continent.

We have some success cases, working with higher concentrations in formulations, which generate savings in transport, storage, returnable packaging or by launching new formulations that provide a great flexibility and safety, such as adjuvants that facilitate the mixing of products, regardless of water quality, mainly hard water.
 
Could you share some changes of market requirements, regulation & policy and application technologies of Latin American markets? What is the formulation development strategy in response to evolving changes?
 
The Latin American market, as well the Global market, is increasingly looking for more environmentally friendly products. All the companies are working to seek for friendlier inerts.
 
Could you highlight the development situation and future development trend of UAV crop protection in Latin American market? What are the major problems of aerial application in this region? What are the biggest technical challenges to solve these problems? Is there any solution in our company?
 
Drones are already a reality in the market, not mostly of them, but they are being used. Mainly in pasture markets. The main problems are the low flow used, because we have already heard reports of applications with up to ten liters per hectare, which makes more technical the application of any product.
 
Most of the technicals are imported from abroad in Latin American market. How does your company solve long term stability problem with formulations, when technicals on the market are often quite different in quality?
 
Cropchem works hardly and very rigorously in the accreditation of its suppliers. We have a strict standard of analysis, performing a follow-up to maintain quality levels, so that there will be no difference in our quality.
 
What are the breakthrough innovation formulation technologies and future development trend of formulation industry?
 
We are closely following the advance in nano formulations, which can be a milestone in this market, generating efficiency and competitiveness.


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