Newsletter AgriBrasilis - November 19th
Lawyers Analyse New Law Against the Amazon Soybean Moratorium in Brazil
Frederico Favacho FCIArb ?is a lawyer and partner at?Santos Neto Advogados, has a M.Sc. in Philosophy of Law and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at USP. He is the director of the Brazilian Agribusiness Association.
Ieda Queiroz is a lawyer at?CSA Advogados, graduated from PUC and has a MBA in agribusiness from Esalq/USP.
AgriBrasilis – What is the “Soybean Moratorium”?
Frederico Favacho FCIArb –?The Soybean Moratorium is a voluntary, multisectoral pact initially signed between the private sector (exporting companies, industry, grain farmers) and civil society organizations (Greenpeace, WWF, TNC), which was also joined by financial institutions, such as Banco do Brasil (Bank of Brazil), and even government agencies such as the Ministry of Agriculture.
The Soybean Moratorium Pact is based on the commitment not to sell or finance soybean harvested from areas of the Amazon biome that were deforested after July of 2008.
Ieda Queiroz –?The Soybean Moratorium is a private agreement adopted by companies operating in the soybean and derivatives export sector, whose signatories commit not to purchase soybean harvested from areas located in the Amazon biome that were deforested after July 22th, 2008, the date on which discussions related to the Brazilian Forest Code began.
(Access the full article on the?AgriBrasilis?website)
Media Partner Event:??Agrishow 2025 (April 29th to May 2nd, 2025 – Ribeir?o Preto, SP)
“One of the largest agricultural fairs in the world and the largest agricultural fair in Brazil, Agrishow brings together solutions for all types of crops, harvests, machinery and property sizes, as well as being recognized as the stage for launching the main trends and innovations for agribusiness.”
Rainfall in Argentina recorded on November 9th?and 10th?should allow the 2024/25 soybean sowing to continue. According to the Rosário Commerce Exchange, the country should reach the planting estimate of 17.7 million hectares, with a?projection of 52 million tonnes of soybeans?for the season. (Bolsa de Comercio de Rosario)
The railway and logistics company Rumo in Brazil has shown increased profit by 65%?in the 3Q24. A higher volume of agricultural cargo in the Northern Network offset losses in the South, resulting in a profit of US$ 137.64 million from July to September.?(Rumo Logística)
In experiments in the State of Mato Grosso, the adoption of “customized sowing”, which involves varying the quantity of seeds throughout different areas of the farm,?increased corn yields by up to 8%?and cotton yields by up to 3%. The research used a technology called Intelligent Planting Solution to adjust sowing according to the terrain and soil characteristics. (Embrapa; Bosch)
Minerva recorded a net profit of US$ 16.20 million?in 3Q24, a drop of 33% when compared to 3Q23. The company’s Ebitda totaled US$ 139.96 million from July to September, an increase of 13.9% when compared to the same period of 2023 in Brazil. (Minerva Foods)
Almost?35% of table grape of Chile exports to the US?should be carried out without methyl bromide fumigation. These exports should reach 56 thousand tonnes of a total of 161 thousand tonnes of grapes, reaching a value of US$ 107 million. (Table Grape Committee)
The president of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, declared a?national emergency situation?after storms caused flooding in several regions of the country and a drought forced Bogotá to ration water. (Government of Colombia)
Drought and low water reservoirs are harming corn production in Mexico. The forecast is for a harvest of 24.5 million tonnes of corn in 2024/25, 7% below the average of the last five years. Almost 70% of the country’s second corn harvest happens in the Sinaloa region, where water reservoirs have reached their lowest level in 22 years. (Conagua (Comisión Nacional del Agua); SIAP-Agricultura)
A trade mission was carried out in Southeast Asia, aiming to attract investment and diversify markets. The aim is to?explore emerging markets and to promote exports of products?such as soybeans, meat and ethanol, from Paraguay to countries such as Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam.?(Ministerio de Industria, Comercio y Mipymes)
Environmental Impacts of Sugarcane Farming in Brazil
Pedro D. is the chairman of the administration board at?Usina S?o Manoel, with a degree in civil engineering from the Polytechnic School of USP and an MBA from the London Business School.
AgriBrasilis – What is the ecological corridor adopted in the company’s farms and what is its importance?
Pedro D. –?Ecological corridors are areas of vegetation planted to connect a forest fragment to a Permanent Preservation Area. Corridors play an important role in the balance and preservation of species of fauna and flora, as they facilitate the movement of animals and the propagation native species seeds. The movement of fauna in these areas becomes safer, preventing animals from crossing agricultural areas and rural roads, and minimizing possible incidents. These corridors also favor the existing seed bank in the soil and the perpetuation of regionally occurring species, contributing to the maintenance of biodiversity.
(Access the full article on the?AgriBrasilis?website)
The legal director of the?Federation of Rice Farmers’ Associations of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Anderson Belloli,?took part in a public hearing on November?5th?at the Federal Supreme Court of Brazil about the Direct Unconstitutionality Action that seeks to review taxation on pesticides.?“This is not a simple debate and cannot be treated superficially. We are talking about inputs that guarantee the competitiveness of our agricultural production in the international market”, said Belloli. According to the director, the use of agrochemicals in rice follows strict inspection standards, going through environmental licensing processes. “In rice farming, we have total compliance regarding the proper use of agrochemicals, not only regarding the quantities, but also regarding the proper use indicated for the crop”.?(Federarroz)
In the 3Q of 2024, Corteva's net sales totaled US$ 2.33 billion, a drop of 10%?when compared to the same period of 2023. This reduction reflects a challenging scenario, especially in?Latin America, where the decline reached 19% in sales due, in part, to the decrease of the corn planted area in?Argentina. Highlight to the unfavorable exchange rate effects in Latin America. (Corteva Agriscience)
Study performed by the Faculty of Agronomy at the University of Buenos Aires,?Argentina, has indicated that?replacing glyphosate with intensive grazing increased production in forage areas by 11%. With intensive grazing, the average forage production in the 15 analyzed?pasture areas reached?6,500 kg/ha/year. “It is important to think about sustainable management alternatives. We believe that, in the future, this line of research should delve deeper into the effects of glyphosate on the soil’s seed bank, in addition to the soil’s carbon and biota”, said Josefina de Paepe, researcher at the institution. (Universidad de Buenos Aires)
The Biological Nutrition Network of the Association of No-till Farmers of?Argentina?has published a report regarding agricultural trials carried out in Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Entre Ríos, Santa Fé, Santiago del Estero, during the 2023/24 season.?Researchers evaluated soybean and corn yields after the usage of different bioinputs, applied via seed and foliar, as well as the response to the combined use of these products with chemical fertilizers. The combination of biological products applied via seed with traditional chemical fertilizers significantly increased crop yields. In the case of soybeans, the yield increase reached 250 kg/ha on average. For corn, the increase reached 290 kg/ha. (Aapresid)
(Access the full article on the?AgriBrasilis?website)