Why Integrated Crop Management Is the New Norm in LATAM
14 April 2026 With increasing product restrictions due to weed resistance, regulations, and lower maximum residue levels enforced from importing countries, integrated crop management (ICM) is no longer an optional farming process for Latin American growers. It’s becoming the norm across the region.
As such, Daniel Traverso, As such, Daniel Traverso, Vice President of Anasac International Corporation and Director of Anasac Colombia Ltda, Anasac Mexico, says that there’s been rapid growth in biorational products, biostimulants, and integrated programs combining traditional chemicals with new technologies across the LATAM region.
“Crop protection strategies increasingly must focus on helping plants tolerate stress, not just controlling pests,” Traverso says.
However, Traverso says that with biological products, the quality varies widely, so grower trust is a major issue.
At the recent AgriBusiness Global™ Trade Summit, Sebastian Bachem, CEO of Accumont, touched on the topic of failing to gain growers’ trust during his presentation.
“Companies often make mistakes in this area,” says Bachem. “They test biocontrol products under very high disease or pest pressure, often with highly susceptible varieties, and conclude they do not perform. This is an approach that does not represent standard farm practice. Alternatively, they do almost the opposite and launch a product with far too few trials and fail to understand why the performance does not meet farmers’ expectations.”
Javier Chavarro, an experienced agribusiness professional with broad involvement in Latin American agricultural business, adds that an ICM approach itself is technically more complex, so there is a growing reliance on local technical advisers and field support for growers to be successful with products.
For synthetic companies wanting to diversify their portfolio and launch in the LATAM region, Bachem suggests they look for an ag retailer partner who specializes in biologicals.
“Many (ag retailers) don’t have the time or the resources to give biological products the kind of stewardship they require to achieve their performance potential on farm,” says Bachem. “A specialist distribution company can be a great alternative. There are many in Europe, and we see biological companies are investing in distribution because they understand that many ag retailers struggle to fit biologicals successfully into their portfolios.”
Looking ahead, the concept of ICM is likely to gain even more traction.
“Integrated pest control is a standard we’ve talked about with our associations,” says Nicolas Potrie, Director of TAFIREL. “Companies are diversifying with biologicals because the trend of the market is going there: to use fewer chemicals and add more biologicals.”
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