Bioinputs Forum: Brazil's biopesticide market is worth $780 million

Brazil's biopesticide market generated US$780 million in revenue during the 2023-2024 crop season, according to data released by CropLife Brazil. 

The findings were presented this week at the Bioinputs Forum, with special coverage by AgroPages.

The CropLife survey revealed a 14.5% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the biological input market for disease and pest control over the past three seasons. Biopesticides continue to represent 57% of the total bioinputs market and are expected to maintain their leadership in this segment in the coming years, the report stated.

Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA) reported 695 active biological control products, with 66% being microbial (bioinsecticides, biofungicides, bionematicides, and bactericides), 14% macrobiological (bioinsecticides), 13% biochemical (biofungicides, bioinsecticides, bionematicides, and growth regulators), and 7% semiochemical (pheromones).

According to data from Move Analytics, 23% of the 3,045 registered pesticides are biological. "The growth in biopesticide registrations is notable. The temporal evolution of the number of new registrations of biological products per year for biological control in Brazil is remarkable," the study stated.

Regarding the overall bioinputs market, there was a 50% increase in cultivated area between the 2021-2022 and 2023-2024 seasons, according to data from the Agribusiness Studies Center of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGVAgro). Among the main crops, 55% of bioinputs used in Brazil were applied to soybeans, 27% to corn, 12% to sugarcane, and 6% to cotton, coffee, citrus, and horticulture.

In terms of the treated area, the research found that soybean crops account for 68% of the total area that has adopted some bioinputs in agricultural management. This is explained by the fact that, at least in the last decade, biological nematicides have been widely assimilated and adopted by soybean growers. Following soybeans, corn accounts for 21% of the treated area, and sugarcane is third with 7%.

"Brazil is progressing in investments in bioinput development, but it still lags behind the United States, China, and South Korea in the number of patents and biotechnological innovations in the sector, despite being the country with the greatest potential for bioinput use," the study said in conclusion.

Global Market

Meanwhile, the global bioinputs market value could reach $45 billion in the next eight years. This represents a 14% annual growth rate until 2032, driven by soybeans, corn, and sugarcane.

According to CropLife, the global market value for agricultural biological inputs was estimated to be between $13 billion and $15 billion in 2023, covering all segments, such as biological control, inoculants, biostimulants, and solubilizers. With the new forecast for the next eight years, the market value will increase threefold.

Based on a study by the Bioeconomy Observatory of the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV OCBio), the mapping aims to create a foundation for promoting dialogue among representatives of the production chain and strengthening public and private initiatives on the topic, understanding the challenges of the bioinputs market, especially in environmental, legal, and economic aspects.

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)