Specialist points out cost of maintaining registers of agrochemicals in Brazil

The pesticide market in Brazil is the most attractive in the world, says agronomist Flavio Hirata, a specialist in agrochemical registration and partner at AllierBrasil.

He says the demand for inputs is high, and sales reached BRL20 billion (end-user base) last year.

″The registration of pesticides is a very controversial issue. It is still the biggest bottleneck for market access. Even with a record number of approvals in the last six to seven years, the demand for newer products is far from being met,″ the expert explained.

This is due to the time taken to evaluate and approve the registers, which can exceed 12 years if the time taken for the approval of the technical product and its respective formulated product is taken into account, he said.

The registration of pesticides is assessed by three ministries, with the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa) issuing the Toxicological Assessment Report (IAT), while the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) administering the Assessment of Environmental Hazard Potential (PPA).

The value of the PPA fee, which must be paid annually, varies between BRL8,669.38 to BRL20,225.84, according to the environmental class defined by Ibama.

For Class I and II products, the value is BRL20,225.84, while for Class II and IV products, the value is BRL8,669.38.

According to him, considering all 5,432 pesticide registrations in force, the amounts due to maintain PPAs reach more than BRL79 million in 2023.

Additionally, other government fees are required at the time of applying for registration.

″The fees for registering pesticides are extremely high, especially when the product cannot be sold. These, together with the long term for approval of registrations, are the main reasons why a significant number of companies fail to access the Brazilian market, drastically limiting competition,″ Hirata said in conclusion.

Fees for pesticide (chemical product) registration purposes

Sources: Ibama, Anvisa, adapted by AllierBrasil.

Note: (1) according to the size of the company.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)