In Brazil, an inter-ministerial working group has been created to formulate the National Fertilizer Plan. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the objective of the plan is to increase the production of national fertilizers (fertilizers, soil corrective agents, soil conditioners), as to reduce dependence on imports and increase the competitiveness of agribusiness in the international market. The Institute for the Strengthening of Agriculture in Goiás (Ifag) points out that fertilizers and pesticides account for nearly half of soybean production costs. According to César Halum, the secretary of Agricultural Policy at the Ministry of Agriculture, Brazil imports about 60% of the fertilizers for agricultural production. “It is necessary to expand the production [of these inputs] in Brazil”, he says. The group will last 120 days and the period can be extended for up to 120 days. At the end of the term, the National Fertilizer Plan is supposed to be sent to the Special Secretary for Strategic Affairs of the Presidency of the Republic.
Sources: Notícias Agrícolas/Global Fert
*Translated by Ia Niani