Bill to Ease Brazil’s Agchem Laws in Congress
21 November 2013 
Antonio Andrade and Katia Abreu
Changes to Brazil’s notoriously long registration timeframes for crop protection products could finally be imminent.
A bill requesting changes to agrochemical legislation, including reducing the time to register products in plant protection agencies across the country, is underway in the government and will be forwarded shortly to Congress, the Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA), a lobbying organization, said on Thursday.
The information was given to CNA President Katia Abreu and the Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (MAPA), Antonio Andrade, during a meeting late on Wednesday, CNA said.
Abreu expects the subject to be “treated as a priority” by the Brazilian government in light of new pests causing steep losses to the agricultural industry, including the Helicoverpa armigera caterpillar. The Agriculture Ministry declared a state of emergency in Mato Grosso and Bahia states this week following an outbreak of the pest, which made its appearance in Brazil only a year ago and has caused an estimated $2.5 billion in losses in Bahia alone – primarily in soybeans and cotton – in the 2013/14 crop year.
A study by the Brazilian Society of Agricultural Protection indicates that in addition to Helicoverpa armigera, at least 150 more potential pests threaten grain crops in many parts of the country, and could cost Brazilian agribusinesses $40 billion. Bureaucracy and delays in releasing new agrochemical products compound those pressures, CNA said.
Abreu said the information signaled relief for the agricultural sector because “the entry of new pests in the country can affect the productivity of traditional crops, such as corn, soybeans and cotton.”
The timing of the bill is important: Over and above the new pest pressures, slowing economic growth in China and rising exchange rates could have a negative impact on agricultural production and the 2013/14 harvest, Abreu said.
CNA argues that in addition to the faster release of agchem products, conducting an extensive awareness campaign on the entry of new pests for farmers is also needed.
Agribusiness currently accounts for 22.4% of Brazil’s GDP, 37% of its exports and one-third of all jobs, according to CNA.
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