Bolivia: 70 companies hold 85% of the agchem market

At least 70 companies are affiliated to the Association of Agricultural Input Industries (APIA), and hold about 85% of the Bolivian agchem market, reported APIA president Marcelo Traverso.

 

The National Service of Agricultural Health and Food Safety (SENESAG) has already registered over 200 importers of agrochemicals in the country. Senasag’s former director, Amorín Amodeo, said that there "still persist a large smuggling of goods into the country". Likewise, Amorín asked the State to exercise larger control, as there are counterfeit products using inputs that were banned in other countries.

 

As the most disturbing disease, Traverso remarked the rust resistance. To combat it, he said farmers are using mixtures of two or more chemicals, such as triazoles and strobilurin, applied during the prior stage to flowering.

 

Mega Agro Commercial Manager, Juan Carlos Rivero, one of the most worrying pests for farmers are caterpillars, bugs and mites. Rivero also mentioned cyproconazole as one of the new agrochemicals used in fruit, grain and ornamentals. Besides China; Brazil, Paraguay, Israel and Spain are other countries that supply chemicals.