AgriSustainability Matters - Issue 18

Ambassador’s word

The growing role of bioinputs in powering Brazil’s agriculture highlights a significant shift in agricultural practices. Biopesticides, biofertilisers and biostimulants are reducing dependence on chemical pesticides and mineral fertilisers while increasing productivity.

This insightful piece by João Guilherme Sabino Ometto makes a timely contribution to the pressing global discussion on sustainable agriculture. With an expert blend of scientific knowledge and practical applications, Ometto brings to light the significant role bioinputs are playing in shaping the future of Brazilian agribusiness.

The use of bioinputs, particularly within the framework of regenerative agriculture, promises to further reduce environmental impacts while maintaining high levels of productivity. According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), bioinputs have seen impressive growth, with sales volumes expanding at a compound annual growth rate of 53% between 2015 and 2022. On a similar note, a recent McKinsey survey from 2023 found that 60% of Brazilian producers either use or intend to use biological pesticides, a figure that far exceeds the global average of 20%.

These developments underscore Brazil’s leadership in adopting sustainable farming practices, paving the way for a more widespread adoption of bioinputs around the world. As these biological products continue to play a key role in reshaping farming practices, it is evident that now, more than ever, AgriSustainability Matters.

Enjoy the reading.

Antonio de Aguiar Patriota
Ambassador of Brazil to the United Kingdom

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AgroSustainability Matters #18

The next green leap: how bioinputs are powering Brazil's sustainable agriculture

João Guilherme Sabino Ometto
Member of the National Academy of Agriculture and co-founder of the Brazilian Agribusiness Association

If we are to reconcile the advancement of agribusiness with environmental preservation and the climate agenda without jeopardising food security and commodity supply, it is crucial that land management practices, crop cultivation, and livestock farming become more sustainable. Bioinputs are critical to our success in this challenge, as they reduce our reliance on mineral fertilisers and the use of chemical pesticides while enhancing productivity and protecting native forests and water sources on rural estates.

Brazilian agriculture has made great progress in terms of sustainability standards in recent decades. As far as bioinputs are concerned, Brazil is a global leader in all their varieties, particularly pest control products. According to the most recent survey by Kinetec, a well-known international organisation that collects data on these products, in the 2020/2021 harvest, around 130 companies in the country had a turnover of R$1.7 billion.

This is in line with an irreversible trend: according to Fortune Business Insights, the global market for bioproducts, which includes biopesticides, biofertilisers, and biostimulants (microorganisms, enzymes, and extracts), was estimated to be worth US$11.67 billion in 2022 and is expected to nearly triple to US$29.31 billion by 2029. These products also conform to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the principles of environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG).

Projects are currently underway to increase the use of solid organic and organo-mineral fertilisers, which are primarily produced by composting sewage, and industrial and agricultural effluents. The former still account for 5% of overall use by Brazilian agribusiness, whilst the latter account for 1.6%, according to the Brazilian Association of Plant Nutrition Technology Industries (Abisolo). These bio-inputs are the perfect example of a circular economy, as waste that would otherwise be an environmental liability and/or would add to the volume destined for landfills is recycled back into the economy. This is why Brazil is seeking to increase their production and use.

For the reader's comprehension, bioinputs are divided into five groups: biological control agents – living organisms used to combat pests in a natural way; biostimulants – natural substances used to boost the germination and growth of crops; biofertilisers – animal, plant or microbiotic compounds that boost productivity; environment conditioners, which improve microbiological activity in the soil and food production areas; and biological inoculants – microorganisms used to boost the biological fixation of nitrogen and other elements necessary for plant development.

Three recommendations from Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation), a global scientific authority on agriculture, underpin the safe use of bioinputs in Brazil: to only allow the propagation of microorganisms that appear on the official lists of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock; to register producers with the Ministry; and to ensure that a qualified technical manager is in charge of production.

Embrapa emphasises the value of bioinputs and their positive effects on sustainability and on reducing the carbon footprint, as a result of the decreased use of fertilisers and chemical products. As detailed above, biological inputs—which are derived from enzymes, plant or microbe extracts, secondary metabolites, and pheromones—are critical for plant nutrition and growth, as mitigators of biotic and abiotic stresses, and as antibiotic replacements.

On this topic, Embrapa also offers relevant statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock: bioinputs provide annual savings of US$13 billion for Brazil, made possible by their use in biological control and nitrogen fixation. The trend is for their use to continue growing, as producers will have access to a wider range of technical and scientific knowledge on the subject. In line with the SDGs, the institution's 2020–2030 Master Plan outlined a strategy for research initiatives in the field.

The objectives are as follows: to increase the participation of biological inputs in pest control, growth promotion, nutrient supply, antibiotic replacement and agro-industrial application in conventional and ecologically-based production systems; to expand the protective biological control of pests, diseases and phytonematodes in grain, vegetable and fruit production systems and in organic farming; to replace synthetic inputs with biological assets to control production limitations of the main agricultural commodities, namely soybeans, corn, wheat, cotton, sugar, citrus, coffee, cellulose, as well as pork, chicken and beef; to replace or reduce the use of fertilisers of non-renewable origin with biologically-based inputs in the crops of beans, soybeans, corn, cotton, pastures and sugar cane.

In Brazil, over 40 million hectares have already been planted with plant growth-promoting bacteria, in addition to the 10 million hectares that use various bioinputs for pest control. The principal applications are for soil improvement, as pesticides, residual mass treatment for use as a by-product, acaricides, insecticides, fungicides, and formicides.

Data on bioinputs is collected on a regular basis by CropLife Brasil (CLB), an association that brings together specialists, institutions and companies that are involved in the research and development of critical technologies for sustainable agricultural production. The organisation recently produced a report that projected a value of R$17 billion for the bioinputs sector by 2030, with a 23% growth rate between 2022 and 2023.

Another study, conducted by the North American company S&P Global, found that between 2018 and 2022, the Brazilian market for biopesticides increased by 62%, compared to 16% globally. The demand for these products in Brazil increased by 219% between the 2019/2020 and 2021/2022 harvests, considering all crops and regions. Their highest use is in soybean crops, accounting for 42% of the total, followed by cotton (21%), sugarcane (18%), corn (15%), and the rest of the products (4%).

Another important indicator is the continuous increase in registrations of bioinputs with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock. This trend shows a shift in company strategy towards agricultural inputs intended to fulfil the needs of Brazilian agriculture and the demands of end consumers, with a primary focus on food safety.

The annual amount of bioinput registrations at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock from 2000 to July 2023

Promoting bioinputs is important not just for environmental sustainability but also for economic reasons. The results of the application of these products are very positive, as can be seen, for example, in the biological control of pests in large sugarcane plantations in Brazil: in the case of nematodes, worms that attack the roots of plants, the replacement of chemical pesticides is 100%; in the case of the sugarcane borer (Diatraea saccharalis), 85%; the sugarcane root spittlebug (Mahanarva fimbriolata), 92%; and Sphenophorus levis, a beetle known as the sugarcane weevil, 55%. Further progress still needs to be made with regards to Hyponeuma taltula (hairy borer), termites, leaf-cutter ants, and Migdolus fryanus, another beetle species found in sugarcane fields.

Replacing chemical inputs, which tend to have a bigger environmental impact, with biological ones also saves farmers money. The main chemical agent against the sugarcane borer costs 144 reais per hectare, including aerial spraying, or about 20 pounds sterling. On the other hand, controlling it by releasing two species of wasps (Cotesia flavipes and Trichogramma galloi) with drones only costs 65 reais, or about 9 pounds, based on the August 2024 average exchange rate. In other words, there is a 54.8% reduction in cost. To attack the sugarcane root spittlebug and the sugarcane weevil, two different species of fungi are used. Bacillus subtilis and Bacillus licheniformis are two bacteria that act as biological agents against nematodes.

Given the benefits to the environmental and economic pillars of development, Brazilian academics, producers, and entrepreneurs have mobilised to expand bioinput research and production. This opens another front to continue to raise the sustainability standards of Brazilian agribusiness, which is ever more reliant on regenerative practices to increase its output.

About the author

João Guilherme Sabino Ometto holds an engineering degree from the São Carlos School of Engineering at the University of São Paulo. He is a businessman and a member of the National Academy of Agriculture (ANA). He co-founded the Brazilian Agribusiness Association (Abag) and chaired the Society of Sugar and Alcohol Technicians of Brazil (Stab). He was a member of the University Council of the University of São Paulo (USP), one of the most distinguished higher education institutions in Latin America. In this role, he sought to foster deeper interaction between the commercial and academic worlds. He established the Agribusiness Committee of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (FIESP), which represents the largest business park in the sector in Brazil.

As in all articles in the AgriSustainability Matters bulletin, the views expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or the position of the Embassy of Brazil

To download AgriSustainability Matters - Issue 18 in pdf format, please click here.