Newsletter AgriBrasilis - May 30th
Anibal Gusso ?is the CEO and founder of Agro Observer ,?with a postdoctoral research in applied remote sensing by the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul.?Gusso?was a professor of remote sensing and geostatistics at Unisinos and a consultant for the agricultural commodities market.
How is monitoring carried out using satellites? How accurate are the estimates made with the data obtained?
In a simplified way, data collection takes place through the analysis of solar radiation reflected on the Earth’s surface. This radiation is detected by sensor instruments placed on board satellites. These instruments are capable of interpreting and separating specific wavelengths of radiation from the visible, infrared or thermal range.
Throughout the harvest, Agro Observer delivers, for example, an objective analysis with maps and projections of productivity distribution in the farms. The maps show which are the areas with the best use of the conditions and the areas with expected losses. This helps the customer/decision maker to establish a medium-term perspective on possible scenarios.
Some of the information coming directly from satellite images are the temperature in the canopy of vegetation, vegetation index and accumulated rainfall, that have specific characteristics of precision associated with the measuring instruments that go on board the satellites. This accuracy, in turn, is continually tested and corrected through scientific work.
To give an idea, the error in the temperature data is between 1 to 1.5 degrees in each pixel. As for products with higher added value, such as yield estimates, the State average margin of error is 2%, depending on the State.
(Access the full article on the?AgriBrasilis?website)
Argentina is negotiating to expand its foreign?exchange swap line agreement with China. Currently, the country has access to approximately US$ 5 billion through the agreement with China, but the Argentine government wants to discuss the possibility of increasing the amount and sign a new agreement by the beginning of June.?( BCRA )
Brazil is expected to?increase its share of?sugar exports, reaching 48% of total global transactions during 2023/24, an increase of 4% compared to the previous cycle. By 2026/27, the country should reach 53% of total transactions. According to Raízen, Brazil has the lowest production cost when compared to other countries. “Brazil is the most efficient in sugar production… investments need to happen, the new price balance should be maintained until we have a new installed capacity”, said Raízen’s trading vice-president, Paulo C?rte-Real Neves .?( Raízen )
Minerva Foods unit in Mirassol d’Oeste, State of Mato Grosso, Brazil, was qualified to?export fresh meat to the USA. Company now has eight facilities that can export to the country.?( Minerva Foods )
Arnelo Nedel ?is the co-founder and commercial director of? Ballagro Agro Tecnologia , and former president of the Brazilian Association of Biological Control Companies – ABCBio.?Ballagro?is a Brazilian company, in the agricultural market since 2004.
What is the purpose of the mixtures of microorganisms in biological products? When is it advantageous to use a single organism product or a mixture?
The purpose is to take advantage of the beneficial interactions between some strains of certain microorganisms. In many cases, in addition to a better effect, we have a wider range of targets.
When there is a very specific target, it can be advantageous to just have a single microorganism, focusing on that target. However, we must consider that, when we talk about biological management, in general we must think beyond the crop that is being cultivated at the time. We should think about what will come later, about the managing og the production system. Thus, normally the integration of strains and microorganisms is advantageous.
What is the focus of Ballagro’s product development? What’s in the pipeline for the next few years?
Focus will always be on the main needs of the farmer. One objective is to constantly evolve in formulation quality, so that we are increasingly successful in the use of biological products in the field. The higher the technology employed, the greater the establishment of microorganisms in the farming system.
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Regarding the pipeline, we are focused on new microorganisms and new formulations, with greater efficiency and longer shelf life.
(Access the full article on the?AgriBrasilis?website)
Ministry of Agriculture of Argentina announces the creation of?Argentina‘s Agriculture?Bioinputs Program, that will include?US$ 214,817?in investments to reduce imports of agrochemicals.?(Ministry of Agriculture; SENASA )
Sayde Espinoza, operations supervisor of the Topolobambo Port System, in?Mexico, reported that in 2022, 480,843 tonnes of urea and 465,464 tonnes of other fertilizers were unloaded at the Port. In January of 2023, ocean freight on the China trade route was US$ 1,276/container.?Freight value has dropped by 81.3%?since August of 2022. (ASIPONA GUAYMAS; Eternity Group Mexico)
Central Bank of?Argentina?announced measures to mitigate effects of drought and increase fertilizers imports.?A pre-financing system was approved, that?should allow financing of approximately US$ 3 billion.?“The system allows companies that act both as importers and exporters?to finance the purchase of inputs with their own suppliers or with international credit lines, from foreign or local banks”, according to the Central Bank.?(BCRA)
During the 1Q 2023, the prices of fertilizers in?Colombia?dropped by 4.8%. “International urea prices have been falling, because of the?slowdown of the economy, expectations of lower economic activity?and, in some cases, recession. This has?increased?local costs,” said?Juan Camilo Rodríguez Raigoza, an analyst at?Corficolombiana.
New liquid fertilizer factory from?Bunge Argentina S.A.?starts operations in the Port of Bahía Blanca, in?Argentina. Construction was concluded?at the end of March 2023. ( Bunge Argentina S.A)
Nequén S.A, that operates in?Puerto Quequén, in?Argentina, denounced the blockade carried out by the?Union of Commerce Workers, that happened in the logistics area of the Port. It?prevented fertilizer unloading operations from the ship?Montevidéu I.?(Nequén S.A)
Group of environmentalists in?El Salvador?calls for a ban on glyphosate?in the country during protests against? Monsanto Company . Protesters demand a reform of the country’s pesticide and fertilizer legislation. (Campa?a Azúcar Amarga)
Chile and Brazil signed an agreement to?increase?meat imports.?A “pre-listing” system was adopted to qualify establishments that export beef, pork, lamb and poultry. This reduces bureaucracy and facilitates access to the Chilean market. Now the Brazilian government can?identify the facilities that comply with Chilean requirements, eliminating needs for authorization and individual inspection of companies by Chilean authorities.?(Ministry of Agriculture)
Bernardita Troncoso?is the president of the board of directors of the AG Ruta del Vino del Valle del Maule , and responsible for the publicity and events area of Vi?a Las Veletas.
Marcela Leni ?is the manager of the Maule Valley Wine Route, graduated from the Pontifical Catholic University of Valparaíso.
The “País” variety, produced mainly in the Maule Valley, had a 20% drop in production in 2022. Why did this happen and what are the containment plans for the next harvest?
This variety is defined by three productive characteristics: it is rainfed, that is, it only receives rainwater, so it is without irrigation. It is carried out through the “en cabeza” management [a system of free conduction of the vine, without support, where the leaves protect the grapes from excessive heat] and with manual harvesting, carried out by a majority of small and medium-sized farmers.
This drop in production happened because of the drought in Chile, that has been sustained over the last 15 to 20 years, associated with the high temperatures recorded during the summer harvest.
The País variety has a long history of adapting to difficult climatic situations, taking into account its almost 500 years of permanence in our country. It is a variety with good adaptability to climate change and great resilience.
To avoid further losses, we are focusing on maintaining the balance between crown and roots and not overloading or demanding too much from the plants.
(Access the full article on the?AgriBrasilis?website)