Monsanto: ‘Information management reduces 40% of all agricultural risks’

Juan Farinati, President of Monsanto Argentina, stated that the technologies introduced to the agricultural sector in Argentina have been very important during the last few years, but he warned that several new tools are currently impacting in other industries but not in agriculture.

 

“The use of data, forecasted information, locations and drones are new elements that should be applied to agriculture, not just to increase yields, but to make agriculture sustainable,” Farinati added, while stressing that the sector should not just be based on product-based technologies, but also on decision-making.

 

Farinati explained that the United States and Brazil are the vanguards of information management, with many producers that have achieved greater productivity through their effective use of good agricultural practices.

 

 “In the coming decades, the market will be surprised by the new innovations in genetics and biotechnology, as well as by the integrated systems with a wide variety of biological products and crop protection technologies,” he further added.

 

Monsanto’s third card is the combination of all their technologies using information platforms, with the first phase being done with corn crops, where the results have highlighted increased yields by 8%, and a reduction of irrigations by the order of 40%.

 

“Our experience has allowed producers to collect seven types of various information, including data on climate, soil, patterns, history of yields and rotation. By using this data, they have created a method of prediction that enabled them to determine how to produce various hybrids of corn for different situations. A digital file was subsequently created for machinery and equipment, to ensure that each task is done under the correct procedures and level of precision, to obtain the best results,” Farinati further stated.
 

Regarding questions about some technologies, including the development of GMO and products such as glyphosate, Farinati explained that the company does not feel angry, he stressed that it relies on proven developments and its work is based on science.

 

“We believe that we have an important opportunity to provide more information and open new dialogue. We are interested in producing seeds and agrochemical products in all our plants, because we know that we are prepared for any rules, regulatory frameworks and current levels of security,” he underlined.

 

 “We are entering an era when Argentina is being judged by its level of professionalism and the number of young people working in the agricultural sector. This is not the same as in other parts of the world, if we compare the average ages of the United States and Brazil, our country is 10 years behind. This makes a difference, as once the sector progresses from its infancy, we will have greater understanding,” he concluded.