Biopesticides grow 45% in Brazil

The Brazilian biopesticide market has grown by 45% in CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) over the past five years, according to information presented by Embrapa.

In contrast, the growth of agrochemicals was only 6%, as highlighted by the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation.

"The area treated with biological control in Brazil in 2022 was 70 million hectares. It is a spectacular growth, mainly due to the ease of application and costs of these products," emphasized Embrapa researcher Wagner Bettiol.

This data was presented at the opening of the symposium "Trichoderma: the most important biological control agent for plant diseases," organized by Embrapa Environment in partnership with the University of Salamanca (Spain), the Federal Technological University of Paraná (UTFPR), and Ballagro Agro Tecnologia Ltda.

The head of Embrapa Environment, Paula Packer, emphasized the importance of biological control, a topic the company has studied for decades.

"Brazilian agriculture must be sustainable, and we demonstrate this in various ways, such as science-based biological control," Packer said.

Bettiol revealed that in soybean cultivation, the area treated with biopesticides increased from 12 million hectares in 2020 to 20 million hectares in 2023, and a similar trend occurred with other crops.

Predictions indicate that the global biopesticide market will reach US$27.9 billion by 2028. In 2011, Brazil had 26 registered products, and by 2023, the portfolio already contained 616 products.

Lecio Kaneco, agronomist at Ballagro, stated that the company originated from a product based on Trichoderma. "Our evolution in the market is thanks to Trichoderma and the research developed with this organism," he added.

University of Salamanca professor Enrique Monte spoke about the adaptability of Trichoderma.

"The main characteristic that defines the Trichoderma genus is its opportunism, i.e., its enormous ability to colonize any substrate in any environment, from Antarctica to the Caribbean or the Sahara Desert," Monte emphasized.

The professor mentioned that he began studying this organism in 1986 when it was considered an eccentric idea.

"Interestingly, China, India, and Brazil were working on it, developing biological control, perhaps because pesticides were more expensive," the professor analyzed.

Now, many companies that did not work with these organisms seek to develop biological products, he pointed out.

According to Sergio Mazaro, a researcher at the Federal Technological University of Paraná, introducing Trichoderma into the management system is essential for successfully controlling soil-inhabiting phytopathogens.

He saw the main challenges for the future as the rational and efficient use of biologicals, product care, specificity of isolates or strains, biological targets, forms and conditions of application, chemical and biological compatibilities, as well as formulations and technologies involved in system management.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)