Key Players: Insight Into the Layout, Application, Regulation and Development Trend of Biologicals in Latin America

Editor’s Note: The biological market in Latin America is one of the fastest developing sectors in the agricultural input industry. Brazil is the largest market for biologicals in Latin America, with more than 500 biological products having been registered.

Farmers in Latin America are actively seeking biological solutions for pest and disease management, nutrient supplementation, and soil health improvement. Additionally, governments in Latin America are implementing incentive programs and regulatory changes to encourage the adoption of biological inputs in agriculture. These initiatives provide valuable support and incentives for farmers, leading to market growth and greater acceptance of agricultural biologicals.

Considerable development potential is attracting the attention of all biological product manufacturers and distributors worldwide, who are accelerating the business layout of new technologies, new products and new applications related to biologicals.

Accordingly, AgroPages recently invited some key players in this field to share their views over the market landscape of the biological market in Latin America, the layout, application, regulation of biologicals, opportunities and challenges for biologicals, as well as the plans to launch new biologicals in Latin America and more.

The participating experts are: Bénédicte Flambard, Vice President, Global Plant Health, FMC Corporation; Jorge Solis, Commercial Manager, AMVAC LatAm; Daniel Forlivio, South LATAM VP, Acadian Plant Health; Florencio Romaguera, Head of Latin America, Rovensa Next and Luis Carlos Cavalcante, Head of Marketing and Commercial Brazil, Rovensa Next; Hanan Dor, Groundwork BioAg’s Chief Commercial Officer; Mario Tenerelli, DPH Biologicals Executive Consultant.

Could you describe the market landscape of the biological market in Latin America? What are the drivers, challenges and trends of the development of biologicals in this region?

Bénédicte Flambard: The biological market in Latin America is growing at one of the fastest rates globally, with an estimated market value of $1.4 billion in 2021 and a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11% for the next ten years. According to the Agricultural Biologicals Market Report 2022, it is second only to the Asia Pacific region.

Brazil is the largest market for biologicals in Latin America, with an estimated $850 million market. Brazil has dominated the world for the past decade since the first bionematicide product introduction, a segment that today accounts for more than 30% of the total Brazilian biological market.  ″On-farm″ production is a trend in Latin America, especially Brazil, where it represents more than 15% of the entire country’s biological market.

The Latin America market is characterized by strong adoption of biologicals, particularly biostimulants, reaching 30% in row crops and up to 60% in fruits and vegetables (F&V). Row crops such as sugarcane, corn, soybean and cotton are the predominant markets in Brazil and Argentina. In contrast, the use of biologicals in Mexico, Chile and Peru is primarily on fruits and vegetable crops.

Regulation is a driver of the development of biologicals in this region. Regulations against the use of synthetic pesticides and residue levels in food have increased the use of biologicals by Latin American farmers. Another key market driver is the favorable regulatory environment for biologicals in many Latin American countries. Therefore, the past two decades have been marked by a dynamic competitive landscape, with foreign companies rapidly entering the market. The acquisition of local biological companies and funding of new startups has further shaped the market positively.

The dynamic ecosystem has facilitated the introduction of new, certified technologies and helped to counter the negative reputation of biologicals as being of sub-standard quality. As a result, the confidence in their performance is steadily increasing. This manifests in the increased adoption of biologicals as partner products to synthetics by growers looking to alternate between conventional and biological products.

Jorge Solis: Latin American farmers are moving fast towards a new concept of modern agriculture based on the integration of conventional inputs, biorationals, high-tech decision-making tools and precision application. Farmers clearly started to demand high performance tools with lower chemical load, increasing water use efficiency and carbon sequestration, restoring soil life, and finding better options to compete in a consumer market that demands sustainable actions from the field. Technology and nature are converging into better production practices and not against each other. The bonding material for this integration is knowledge. We at AMVAC are very excited to be in the forefront of this farming revolution. The new production practices will allow for continual growth of our biorational portfolio, which extends far beyond just the organic farming areas. It will cover conventional farmers who are also integrating these tools.

Daniel Forlivio: Acadian Plant Health™ is an Ascophyllum nodosum seaweed biostimulant company, so we will only comment on this segment of the biological market. Seaweed extracts account for more than 33% of the total biostimulant market worldwide and are expected to grow at 12.2% CAGR in South America in the forecast period 2023 to 2030. Brazil is the highest-growing country in LATAM.

Volatile weather conditions and their impact on crop yield drive the market for crop stress-managing biostimulants in this region. Key drivers continue to be aligned to stress management, yield and quality increase, water management, soil health, and at the end of the day performance vs cost/benefit. One of the main challenges in the market is low-quality technology being marketed by some companies which depreciates this technology.

In 2023, Brazil is expected to dominate the South American market for row crops, while in North LATAM market (Mexico) is leading with solutions for specialty crops such as agave, avocado, and berries. The changing crop protection market with manufacturers' organic solutions portfolio is rising and creating the demand for the seaweed extract biostimulant market.

Florencio Romaguera: The LATAM market is as a major player in the agri-food sector. Its resilience and ability to respond to the demands of increasingly demanding markets position it as a contender to be reckoned with.

One trend that is driving LATAM’s development is a significant increase in the desire for products of plant or microbiological origin to address various agricultural challenges. While this largely depends on the type of crop and market, we are generally seeing a transition to these kinds of solutions that aim to reduce or eliminate chemical burden in the final product, while maintaining crop performance and the organoleptic qualities of fruits and vegetables.

Luis Carlos Cavalcante: Biological products are currently adopted by most of the growers in Latin America, whether for cash crops or row crops.  The diversity of pests and an increase in the number of suppliers to farmers are the main reasons for growth surpassing that of chemical or conventional control methods.

Biocontrol is also an interesting challenge and opportunity in the region. Some countries already have extensive experience and familiarity with these types of products, while others are undergoing a slower process of transition.

Another challenge for the growth of biologicals is the quality of spray technologies capabilities among growers.  Additionally, the failure to meet basic requirements for storage at the farm site and internal transportation, both of which are conducted in high temperatures during operations and tank mixes with no compatibility tests, create inappropriate conditions for biologicals to perform effectively.  Without these challenging aspects, the adoption rate of biologicals by growers would have been even higher.

Hanan Dor: In Latin America, growers are ahead of the global curve in integrating biologicals as an important part of a more complete integrated crop treatment for pests, disease and nutrition. Many of the largest growers have adopted more sustainable farming practices using biologicals, making Brazil, in particular, an attractive market for biological companies. While LATAM growers now have many choices, they are looking for proven products with specific, high-value benefits, including helping to reduce their dependance on chemical fertilizers.

Since 2018, Groundwork BioAg and its partner NovaTero BioAg, led by Bernad Arnaud, chairman, and Ricardo Stolf, chief executive officer, have been helping growers cost-effectively and sustainably improve yield by adding Rootella^® BR mycorrhizal inoculant as the foundation of their fertility program.

Mario Tenerelli: Over the last decade, Latin America farmers have looked to biologicals as an important tool combined with seed and crop chemicals to help them achieve higher yields while satisfying the global supply chain demands for more sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices.

While the Latin American biological sector is still maturing, LATAM growers recognize the benefits of using proven biologicals and integrated practices to improve soil and plant health. At DPH Biologicals, we see tremendous growth potential for products that perform consistently on large scale operations and are easily integrated into modern growing practices.

Could you talk about the regulatory landscape of biologicals in Latin America? What impact do these regulations have on your company’s business?

Bénédicte Flambard: The registration processes in Latin America are country-dependent; hence, local regulatory networks and knowledge are required to navigate each country.

Brazil tends to have the most favorable regulatory environment with significantly shorter approval timelines than other countries. Therefore, the Brazil biological market has attracted numerous companies, contributing to a diverse portfolio of available technologies. In contrast, Argentina authorizes biological products based on regulatory requirements and timelines of conventional pesticides, even though data waivers are acceptable. In the F&V-growing regions of Mexico and Chile, new regulations are being developed with proportionate data requirements for the authorization of biological products. However, the evaluation timelines still need to be improved for the quick introduction of biologicals.

The favorable regulatory environment in Brazil has made it a model market for FMC’s biological products in terms of introducing new technologies and product concepts, allowing positioning testing ahead of global expansion. FMC launched its first bionematicide in Brazil in 2014, paving the way for Quartzo^® bionematicide for in-furrow application and Presence^® bionematicide for seed treatment in 2017. This was influential in the launch of two new biofungicide/bionematicide products in the United States – Zironar™ biofungicide/bionematicide for in-furrow application and Avodigen^® biofungicide/bionematicide for seed treatment.

Additionally, the regulatory landscape creates an opportunity to establish active field research and product development programs tailored for the Latin America market, which serve as knowledge platforms for the rest of the world. Current examples are FMC’s pheromone programs in Brazil and Mexico. These programs are generating performance data for integrating mating disruption pheromones in an IPM program with synthetics and precision agriculture.

Finally, the favorable ecosystem in Brazil allows FMC to promote innovation and knowledge exchange by capitalizing and investing in multiple private and public partnerships across Latin America, including university programs and public and private research institutions such as Embrapa, State University of Londrina (UEL), State University of São Paulo (Unesp), Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC).

Daniel Forlivio: We expect that the regulation landscape will be more restrictive moving forward. Today there are different regulations throughout the countries in the region. In Latin America, biostimulants are covered by national laws under different categories. Brazil regulates some plant biostimulants as ″biofertilizers″. Chile in 2021 published Law N° 21.349 and in 2022 Resolution 6725 defining and regulating biostimulants.  Ecuador regulates and defines biostimulants as per Resolution 0218 and its Technical Manual for registration and control of fertilizers, soil amendments, and related products. In Peru, a proposed regulation was published recently and it’s open for comments until September 1^st, 2023. Mexico still has no specific regulation for biostimulants with some registered under fertilizers, plant growth regulators or inoculants. This creates a difficult process in Mexico to get products registered with timing being anywhere from 3-5 years for approval.

We expect regulations in LATAM to become more harmonic in the future. For Acadian, we’re pleased to see more regulation around this market as this will help ensure standards are put in place that all companies will need to adhere to.

Florencio Romaguera: Biological products in Latin America have the advantage, compared to other regions, that each country has specific legislation for these types of products, and the Competent Authority evaluates them according to appropriate requirements based on their nature, rather than applying a generalized regulation for phytosanitary products, as is happening in Europe.

This type of regulation grants us a very significant competitive advantage to companies like Rovensa Next, which are investing in the data packages of their products, submitting comprehensive and robust product dossiers for registration.

Luis Carlos Cavalcante: The requirements for biologicals may vary from country to country, but the registration processes are faster than those for chemical pesticides. Authorities realize that the balance of environmental impacts and other aspects of biologicals have significant and positive differences.

Hanan Dor: Public policies that have encouraged alternatives to agrochemicals with less regulatory barriers to international companies have fostered a strong market environment for the LATAM biologicals sector, especially for products focused on soil health benefits. In particular, Brazil has been a positive environment for Groundwork BioAg’s global growth opportunities with Rootella^® now on over 100,000 Brazilian hectares. LATAM’s focus on sustainable farming practices and environmental outcomes has helped to encourage a vibrant marketplace and rapid adoption for soil health-focused biologicals.

Mario Tenerelli: A standardized global regulatory framework ensuring quality, impact and transparency would help to foster market penetration of biologicals across LATAM borders. In the past, biologicals have been viewed with skepticism. To accelerate adoption of biologicals - including biofertilizers and biostimulants - growers need confidence in product performance, which often comes from field trial data and third-party evaluations.

Could you give us an overview of your company's biologicals and their special features, application situation in Latin America? Could you share some novel approaches to production and formulation of biologicals?

Bénédicte Flambard:  FMC’s biological portfolio in Latin America is strong in the row crop segments. The primary market is Brazil, where FMC is a leader in the bionematicides segment for sugarcane. In 2019, FMC expanded to Colombia with Alicerce™ biofertilizer and now has products available across the region.

In Brazil, the award-winning Quartzo^® bionematicide has become a reference point for quality and performance. Quartzo^® is used together with Seed+™ biostimulant as part of the Gennesis Program. The Gennesis Program integrates biologicals and synthetics to protect sugarcane against pests and diseases. With field results showing yield increases of over 10% in sugarcane, FMC is now launching the Gennesis Program for soybean in Brazil with Presence^® Full bionematicide, Ataplan^® biofungicide, Seed+CoMo™ biostimulant and Premio^® insect control. The Gennesis program is an excellent example of how FMC increasingly develops formulations and technologies suitable for integrated crop management.

In Mexico, FMC has a strong portfolio of biostimulants in the F&V segments, featuring Auxigro™ Stymulus^® Maxx and RhizoMagic™. The biopesticide portfolio is based on bacillus technologies such as Astuto^® bioinsecticide and Fungifree™ AB biofungicide, as well as botanical extracts including Reliant^® biofungicide/bactericide.

FMC has an active development pipeline with new product launches planned for as early as next year.

Jorge Solis: At AMVAC LatAm we are aiming to have at least 25% of our revenues coming from biorational products. We are right now well positioned to reach this milestone in the very short term. Our approach is to test extensively and screen products to find the best solutions and only then, offer them to the farmer in a proper program.

Unfortunately, there are still some ″snake oils″ in the market and those products could hinder the development of the bio market, since erratic results can destroy credibility of the industry. We respect farming and only launch bio solutions that we know are high performing and are well backed by our extensive research and development team. Our own products and those from our business partners are market leaders with very strong reputations in the marketplace.

AMVAC’s GreenSolutions™ portfolio offers high performing specialized nutritional solutions and biostimulants with our brand Greenplants and biorational products under the umbrella of Amgreen. We consider those brands as a seal of strong performance, consistency, and proven solutions in the field.

Daniel Forlivio: ‘Sea Beyond’ is our new vision, leadership, and commitment to providing innovative and sustainable solutions for global agriculture. We are challenging conventional thinking to ‘Sea Beyond’ the way the biostimulant industry delivers agricultural solutions that respond to the growing global demand for food and climate stress.

In speaking with customers, we realized that there is a misconception of ‘either/or’ when it comes to performance and sustainability. There is a perception that you couldn’t get the yield needed with biological products. So, we decided to challenge this conventional thinking. Working together with our industry partners, our biostimulants promise stronger yielding crops in a sustainable manner, which we have been proving with science for the past 40 years. What we must do as an industry now is see beyond the current state of the agricultural inputs industry and offer solutions that provide high-value, crop productivity technology that shifts from a peripheral add-on to an essential component of sustainable agriculture.

Our expertise in both productivity and sustainability is what makes us stand out from other biostimulant companies. We are built to serve the crop protection, biostimulant, and fertilizer industries with our unique organizational structure of crop input professionals and scientists – who all understand the standards within these industries. This means we have the science, research, facilities, and, most importantly, the people, to formulate the best of our biostimulant technology to design synergistic and complementary solutions to crop protection, fertilizer and biostimulant companies.

Florencio Romaguera: Rovensa Next is characterised by innovation. We are pioneers in natural solutions, and we are constantly researching to build out our holistic portfolio and provide farmers with the best products to tackle all their challenges. We update our labels to continually expand the crops and targets for which the product is authorized. Thus, the product can be used on a wide range of crops and pests, not only commercially significant crops, but also those where our products can provide an alternative.

Currently, our products incorporate patented technologies that deliver features of specificity, resistance to temperature variations, radiation, and salinity. This is aimed at achieving the highest effectiveness and persistence of our products. Products of organic origin are very sensitive to temperature and radiation and may degrade fast. Our products, such as Tec Fort with its promicell technology, increase the time of action against the pest as fast as similar products in the market.

At Rovensa Next, we aim to help Latin American farmers become more ecologically aware by addressing their sustainability challenges. We offer a comprehensive portfolio of biological products, providing solutions that cover the entire life cycle of cultivated plants, from seed to shelf. Our biosolutions have been meticulously developed in our Research and Development laboratories and production centres around the world, with a focus on reducing environmental impact.

To aid in finding and selecting our biosolutions, our portfolio of biological products is divided into three easily recognisable categories: adjuvants and correctors, agricultural biocontrol, and agricultural bionutrition. Our range of biosolutions adapts to all our clients' needs, such as pest and disease management, soil improvement, overcoming water limitations, optimising product application to crops, minimising abiotic stress, promoting natural plant processes, and ultimately, enhancing crop quality and yield.

In Latin America, we primarily focus on high-value, technically cultivated species, which are exported to other parts of the world. This ensures food safety in the case of food production and crop quality overall, without compromising productive yields.

Our goal is to position our products to be in line with the language of agricultural crops. For instance, products related to bionutrition, adjuvants, and correctors are used according to the phenological stage to address specific needs in the growth phase, whether vegetative or reproductive. As for biocontrol products, they are categorised based on their potential for disease or pest control, be it preventive and/or curative. We also classify products based on their potential use in different crops and crop groups. Essentially, we have a solution, no matter the need.

Luis Carlos Cavalcante: Latin American growers are depending on biological control for 55% of their planted areas and are responsible for more than 50% of new registrations in Brazil, one of our key markets. Following this reality, Rovensa Next has a modern laboratory in Hortolândia, São Paulo state, fully equipped to develop and evaluate new options for biocontrol, develop adjuvants for biological product spray and conditioners for performance enhancement.

Hanan Dor: Groundwork BioAg, together with NovaTero BioAg, received the first definitive commercial registration for mycorrhizal inoculants in Brazil, with the Rootella^® BR product line developed specifically for Brazilian corn and soybean growers. In addition, the company has commercial operations in Mexico and Argentina, and plans additional expansions in key LATAM growing regions.
 
At present, biologicals are a growing part of a more complete integrated plant and soil health program. In this way, Rootella, which is based on a specific family of mycorrhizas, will become a key part of plant integrated treatments, applied in furrow applications and seed treatments for soybean, corn and other cereals. In addition, Rootella also contributes to support farmers in reducing carbon emissions on their plantations by creating carbon additionality in the soil, to help farmers create innovative ways to contribute to environmental benefits.

Groundwork BioAg’s Rootella mycorrhizal inoculants form a symbiotic relationship with plants, improving soil health while increasing a plants’ ability to access water and nutrients, especially phosphorus, which is often deficient in LATAM soils. Rootella BR ULTRA is the highest concentrated mycorrhizal inoculant in the market, with an application rate as low as 15 grams per hectare ensuring a reliably high ROI to growers.

Mario Tenerelli: In the past, many biologicals were unstable or difficult to store, making it difficult for Latin American farmers impacted by poor infrastructure and unreliable supply chains to use them. DPH Biologicals formulates our products to have a storage life of a year or more and ensures they are easy to mix with most other inputs, including synthetics, without needing special handling. DPH Biologicals takes a common-sense, grower-first strategy to product development. Even though many of our products are listed for organic production, we prioritize formulations that work in conjunction with, and even enhance, synthetic fertilizer and crop protection products, enhancing yields with integrated, ‘better together’ approach to crop management.

What are the considerations for farmers/growers to use biologicals? How does your company educate growers and farmers on the use of biologicals?

Bénédicte Flambard:  Growers must be well-informed and educated on the technical aspects of biologicals – their mode of action, target pests and the appropriate application timing. Additionally, it’s vital to help growers understand how to integrate biologicals into existing pest management practices to optimize their impact.

FMC addresses these challenges at multiple levels. We offer integrated solutions to ensure that growers can maximize the performance of biologicals in combination with synthetics and precision agriculture technologies. With a focus on customer-centricity, we provide comprehensive training on our products and technical solutions, coupled with customized demonstrations. We also build confidence in biologicals by re-enforcing the position and essence of our ″Biologicals by FMC″ brand. This brand signifies product quality and performance backed by science. Through transparent communication and evidence-based information, we aim to help growers make well-informed choices aligned with their specific agricultural needs and practices.

Jorge Solis: Farmers are the top guardians of their farm environment. They see their operations not only as a business but as a way of living. They clearly understand how natural forces work and are willing to flow with them and not against them. Our task is to listen to farmers, understand their needs and pain points and work together to find the best solutions available. Farmers will use biorational solutions if they are high performing products and provide consistent results in their farm conditions with a positive financial impact. For a bioproduct to succeed, it must have consistent results, proper application, technique and timing, and price competitiveness.

Daniel Forlivio: Farmers will always consider a cost/benefit analysis. There’s good reason for this. Growing a crop takes multiple different inputs and costs can add up quickly. When it comes to selling products to farmers, they need to see real results.

This is where the biostimulant industry has faltered in the past. There have been far too many companies that have made claims on products with no efficacy data to substantiate them. This creates a challenge with speculative information and unproven products. To the point where some in the ag industry have avoided the realm of biostimulant solutions altogether. Yet the need for sustainable and ecologically friendly solutions in agriculture continues to grow and biostimulants are products that can deliver.

Acadian Plant Health™ has a very strong base of scientific data within the company. Forty years’ worth. Most of which have been peer-reviewed and even published in scientific journals. Showing the efficacy of our product with real-world trial data is what truly matters to a grower.

Florencio Romaguera: The increasing use of biological products in LATAM can be explained by the following four points:

• Environmental ethics. These products are known for being environmentally friendly to crops, beneficial fauna, humans, and ecosystems. This takes into account the growing demand from consumers who seek more sustainable solutions in food and other products stemming from agricultural production.
  
  

• Additionally, there must be a genuine conviction among growers to evolve or transition to more sustainable agriculture, covering multiple dimensions including economic productivity, environmental friendliness, and societal contributions. This means respecting the demands of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations.
  
  

• Resistance evolution. The continued use of chemical products over the past decades has led to the emergence of resistances. Previously effective molecules are now no longer useful tools for farmers, and there is a need for new solutions.
  
  

• Constraints on molecule use. There is a growing limitation on the use of molecules. Products that were once essential for ensuring crop production are no longer allowed due to restrictions by the producing country, destination country, or final market.
  

Managing agricultural crops requires the application of best practices, which involves integrated pest and disease management. Through field validations, we conduct trials to assess the effectiveness of each of our solutions under specific farmer conditions and crop management.

Luis Carlos Cavalcante: Biologicals have demonstrated performance levels that justify their use by growers. In this regard, training to sales teams and the people responsible for spray activities at the farms have contributed to the acceptance of the technology.

Hanan Dor: LATAM growers aren’t interested in a Swiss army knife approach to value, they want to know exactly what benefits a biological provides and at what ROI. At Groundwork BioAg we have conducted multiple LATAM-located efficacy trials in varied climatic conditions and on numerous soil types, returning an average increased yield of 11% in corn and soybeans, with even higher yield increases seen under conditions with reduced phosphorus rates. Our LATAM growers have successfully used Rootella to reinvigorate degraded land and significantly reduce dependence on chemical fertilizers, sometimes entirely.

Mario Tenerelli: Biologicals are a systems-based solution with multiple agronomic benefits. But that means their value can be hard to quantify, which is why DPH Biologicals has prioritized field testing and product formulations that facilitate integrated treatments and practices.

Grower education key to adoption. For instance, microbial biodigesters that accelerate crop stubble degradation immediately benefit growers with improved field plantability but also unlock access to sustainable farming practices like cover cropping and no-till. As LATAM growers continue to adopt new technology across large farm operations, we see biologicals becoming a key component of their overall farm management plan.

DPH Biologicals invests in local field-testing combined with grower education programs to ensure relevant information is available to growers in our key markets, including the U.S., Brazil and Mexico. Technology providers must ensure they not only have products that work in Latin America, but that they invest in localized data and field-testing relevant to those growers.

What and where are the biggest opportunities and challenges for biologicals in Latin America?

Bénédicte Flambard:  One of the most significant challenges for biologicals overall is grower skepticism about the efficacy of biologicals. This is still true in Latin America, although perceptions are shifting. This distrust is compounded by challenging logistics posed by the region's climate and vast distances, which can adversely impact product quality. The consistent performance of biologicals relies heavily on a controlled supply chain and technical formulation attributes – two aspects that ″on-farm″ production was expected to address. Still, they continue to pose challenges for many farms.

The opportunities for biologicals are vast. Biologicals can contribute to addressing challenges caused by land use change, degradation and deforestation through soil restoration, erosion control and enhanced climate change resilience. Poor soils in Brazil and other arid countries such as Peru and Mexico respond well to biologicals, especially biostimulants and related abiotic stress-alleviating products. An emerging trend of government incentives given to growers to improve soil health and fertility will become one of the most important forces for the future of biologicals if extended across Latin America.

Jorge Solis: Consumers are demanding lower chemical load, more efficient water use and less carbon footprint in their food. But at same time, they are not willing to pay for a higher price to cover those features. This is both a challenge and an opportunity. There shouldn’t be a yield drag when farmers use biorational options. To really take advantage of this opportunity, farmers need to have bioproducts that have equivalent performance to conventional options, while being cost competitive. Only top products and companies would be able to provide such options. We are aiming to be leaders in that space.

Additionally, we are seeing a new way of succession in Latin American farms. The people taking over farms now are the first generation who really chose to be farmers. Historically, in LatAm you had to keep working in the family’s farm, and options were limited. Now, young farmers had other options since urbanization happens fast and chose farming as a calling, and this is a cultural change. New farmers are very committed and connected to the ideas of respect for their land and heritage, sustainability, innovation and use of technology. They are open to innovation and have access to more information than in the past. It is a great moment for the implementation of biorationals.

Daniel Forlivio: We see many opportunities for biostimulants in Latin America. There continues to be a rising need for sustainable agriculture, with crop export requirements being harder to reach with respect to quality requirements.  

Crop prices are very much connected to us with commodity prices driving crop input decisions on the farm. The challenge is to convince a grower they need a biostimulant in their crop plan and not just as a peripheral add-on if crop prices are good. Fertilizer prices also dictate some of this decision-making as well.

Florencio Romaguer: According to the United Nations, Latin America is one of the most vulnerable regions to the effects of climate change. It is also one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet, housing over half of global biological diversity, 50% of untouched forests, and more than 20% of arable soils.

This richness places Latin America at the forefront of climate-related crises, resulting in biodiversity loss, loss of life, and severe damage to health, water, energy, and socio-economic development for its inhabitants.

As mentioned earlier, LATAM boasts diverse climates, soils, and crops. The primary challenge is ensuring our products exhibit maximum effectiveness within this great diversity. This requires continued research and testing of our products in the field, identifying areas for improvement and parameters for application.

Regarding opportunities, they are immense. In LATAM, we have some of the world's top producers and exporters. Cases in point include Ecuador and Costa Rica with bananas, Mexico, Colombia, Peru, and Chile with avocados, and Peru, Mexico, and Chile with blueberries. These examples just scratch the surface. Rapid growth in some crops means that countries that had little presence before can become major global producers in just over a decade.

Luis Carlos Cavalcante: The diversity of crops, tropical conditions, and the ability to grow crops year-round are the main aspects that make pest control a real challenge in countries like Brazil. In such scenario, biological control represents a safe and efficient tool for farmers.

On the other hand, the common practice of mixing biologicals with fungicides and certain types of oils may be one of the main aspects to be taken into consideration, as incorrect interactions among these products could jeopardize the efficiency of the biologicals.

Hanan Dor: The biggest opportunity, and challenge, currently facing Latin American biologicals is the potential. We already know that an emphasis on soil health has contributed to skyrocketing yield increases in Brazilian-grown soybeans and now corn. Double and even triple cropping rotations give LATAM growers a distinct yield advantage on the global agricultural stage. However, as LATAM production intensifies, growers risk degrading their soil health and exacerbating other issues, like diseases and pests. To help LATAM growers meet their potential, we need biologicals that solve grower’s biggest problems, have clearly defined benefits and return a high ROI. This is exactly what mycorrhizal inoculants like Rootella are designed to do.

Mario Tenerelli: Latin America’s growers are making significant strides to increase their per-acre yield potential and compete on the world stage. High-performing biologicals that can help LATAM growers overcome the yield penalties common in intensively managed farms, like decreased soil fertility and more intensive residue management, are key to achieving this growth. The challenge is to ensure the biologicals available to Latin American growers return strong ROI without a big outlay in input or new equipment costs, or, for that matter, a grower’s time.

What are the plans to launch new biologicals in Latin America? Highlight the development plan in Latin America.

Bénédicte Flambard:  FMC is actively launching new products in Latin America as it continues to be an important growth region. Our biological portfolio is becoming more innovative and complete with new biostimulants, biofungicides, bionematicides and pheromones to complement our extensive synthetic technologies.

Forenia^® biofungicide is expected to launch in Brazil in 2023. Provilar^® biofungicide, originally launched in Brazil in 2022, has been registered for use on additional fungal diseases. Its differentiated positioning is receiving positive market feedback and will soon be available in Mexico, Argentina, Ecuador and Peru under different brand names.

FMC is introducing three new multi-targeted products in the bionematicide segment, including Catulia™ bionematicide/biofungicide in Peru and Ecuador; Isavia™ bionematicide/biofungicide in Chile, with a different brand name in Argentina; and Tulinia^® bionematicide/bioinsecticide featuring a new active microorganism strain in Mexico expected in 2025.

In Brazil, Presence^® bionematicide for seed treatment is being replaced by Presence^® Full bionematicide for seed treatment as well as in-furrow application.

Finally, we are launching several biostimulants, including RhizoMagic™ and Furavia™ in Chile and Auxigro™ in Chile, Peru and Ecuador.

Growers in Latin America are technologically advanced, but like growers worldwide, they require a high degree of trust and testing before adopting new technology in their farm operations. FMC is proud to work with growers in the region to help solve their crop protection challenges.

Jorge Solis: Our company in LatAm has been working with top class suppliers and farmers to develop programs to overcome key challenges in tropical agriculture like black sigatoka in banana and fusarium in pineapples, for instance. We understand that in coping with such diseases or pests in a biorational manner, there is no ″silver bullet″ and instead requires a program of integrative tools. We provide comprehensive programs based on science and proven in the field. We are very excited with our future and proud of providing proven solutions for modern agriculture.

Daniel Forlivio: We continue to support Latin America by providing a wider range of Ascophyllum nodosum based seaweed extract biostimulant products to drive the market's expansion. In addition, our R&D and the modernization of seaweed extract product in this market has opened up more business potential for Acadian Plant Health.

Lastly, farmers are always looking for innovative solutions that are also friendly to the environment. We intend to continue to collaborate with partners to develop tailor-made solutions and develop novel formulations that optimize our seaweed extracts for increased stress mitigation.

Florencio Romaguera: Our intention is to support LATAM's ongoing agricultural growth by offering our expertise, technical support, and the best products to enhance sustainability and productivity, and drive the biotransformation of agriculture.

Luis Carlos Cavalcante: If we put Brazil as an example, we have three new biocontrol products. Leveraging our broad geographic coverage through distribution, we expect a fast penetration in the main markets including row crops. Coffee, citrus and vegetables are among the primary markets for us, and synergy with existing products will be a key pillar for our objectives.

Hanan Dor: Through our distributor partners, including NovaTero BioAg in Brazil and Ahern Seeds in Mexico, and with recent approval for commercial registration in Argentina, GroundWork BioAg is expanding across key LATAM growing regions, concentrating specifically on Rootella’s key benefits including helping LATAM farmers restore their soils for better productivity and carbon capture.

Mario Tenerelli: DPH Biologicals is planning to launch three new biological products over the next two years and are currently engaged in oversight with experienced LATAM experts and consulting companies as part of the positioning and launching process.

These three products will become the pillar of DPH Biologicals entry into the Brazilian and LATAM market, opening new channels for commercialization and paving the road for healthier, integrated treatments supporting higher yields in major crops such as soybeans, corn and sugar cane.

• Residuce Complete WS is on track to be available in 2024. Residuce is a microbial biodigester that accelerates the rapid breakdown of tough crop residue, like corn stover or sugar cane leaves. Residuce solves the problem of after-harvest crop stubble generated in high-input, high-yield production systems while maximizing the soil health and fertility benefits that come with breaking down high-carbon plant fibers into organic matter. Residuce works fast enough to be used between double-cropped plantings, even on cover crop biomass, and improves soil quality, crop stands, field plantability and accelerates season-long nutrient release for healthier plants that grow faster, increasing yields.
  
  

• Companion Maxx WP will carry a pesticide registration. Companion Maxx WP is a multi-mode, dual action biocontrol that helps plants fight off and resist disease, while also stimulating increased plant development and plant growth. Formulated as a shelf-stable, easy-to-use wettable powder, Companion Maxx WP offers broad-spectrum disease control of more than three dozen common fungal and bacterial pathogens, including, Pythium, Rhizoctonia and Fusarium. Companion Maxx WP is compatible with most chemical pesticides and has a 2-year shelf-life.
  
  

• BioNutrients is on track to be available in 2024. BioNutrients is a nutrient plus biostimulant combo, delivering a diverse mix of five species of beneficial bacteria, an NPK of 7-0-5 and humic acid, kelp extract and soil conditioners that improve soil structure by increasing aeration and water-holding capacity. BioNutrients replenishes soil’s natural biology by strengthening the plant from the roots up and is tank-mixable with most other crop inputs.
  

If you'd like to share your company's story and products/solutions. Please contact Grace Yuan via: grace@agropages.com