Brazil Maintains Decent Pace of Biopesticide Registration in 2021

Brazil approved the registration of 92 biological or low-impact pesticides in 2021, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA).

In comparison with the previous year, when 95 products had been released, there was a slight decrease in the total amount of registered biopesticides.

Most of the new active ingredients are formulated based on biological or microbiological agents and plant extracts for pest and disease control in agriculture. ″The priority in registering low-impact products is a commitment to sustainability, and it continues in full swing in Brazil,″ highlighted the Deputy General Coordinator for Agrochemicals and Related Products, Marina Dourado.

″Today, we have more than 200 phytosanitary products with approved use for organic agriculture registered at the disposal of the producer. This number is expected to increase in 2022, considering the various requests currently under analysis,″ stated the Head of the Division of Registration of Formulated Products, Tatiane Nascimento.

In addition to low-impact products, last year’s last registration decree (Act nº 55/2021) also brought the registration of 25 products considered ″clones″. That is, previously authorized molecules are in use in the field today. ″It is important to expand competition in this market so that the producer is not dependent on one or another company, but can choose from whom he wants to buy the product,″ Nascimento emphasized.

Of the total number of products that appear in Act No. 55, some contain more than one active ingredient and most are already registered in countries such as the United States and Australia, or Europe. One of these cases is the herbicide based on Oxathiapiprolin, the only new molecule on the list.

According to Dourado, the registration brings more tranquility to the productive sector in the face of a possible lack of raw material to produce herbicides that will be used in the next harvest. ″Our concern was that the producer would not be left unattended. With the registration of Oxathiapiprolin, we expanded the range of products for various crops, even those with insufficient phytosanitary support, also called minor crops,″ she said in conclusion.

Brazilian National Bio-inputs Program

Alessandro Cruvinel, the coordinator of MAPA's National Bio-inputs Program, speaking exclusively to AgroPages, said that the registration of low-risk products (biologicals included) remained stable. ″Overall, these demands are being met within an average period of eight months, which is very little compared to chemical products for conventional agriculture (a formulated product takes 70 to 80 months),″ he pointed out.

According to the coordinator, among the low-risk products registered in 2021, those approved for organic agriculture represent just over half, a slight increase compared to the previous year. There were 51 releases in 2021 compared to 38 in 2020. He explained that most are antagonistic microorganisms and insects for biological control, or 'natural enemies'.

″A record is always a reflection of demand. This means registrations only increase if there is demand from the sector (both from the producer and the user). The assessment is that research with biological products has provided a greater range of options for manufacturers, and the good results of field control have boosted the acceptance of these products by farmers. If there was a market, the industry realized the market potential and invested in more research and technology,″ Cruvinel told AgroPages.

In terms of speed of approvals, low-risk products are given priority, he added. Having a more simplified analysis (compared to chemical products), the result is these eight months, on average, for the record. ″New products and new technologies are always eagerly awaited when the industry grows. In terms of registration (and observing the upward curve of the last five years) we expect that the number of registrations will remain high,″ concluded the coordinator of MAPA's National Bio-inputs Program.

Biopesticides registered in Brazil in 2021

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This article was initially published in AgroPages' '2022 Latin America Focus' magazine.