Brazil’s largest grower plans to reduce fertilizer use by a quarter next year and rely on more accurate applications and soil tests to maintain crop yields.
Aurelio pavinato, CEO of SLC Agricola SA, said that without affecting production, the amount of chemical fertilizer used in 2022 / 23 may be reduced by 20% to 25%. This will be based on soil testing and precision farming. The company’s soybean, corn and cotton planting area is larger than that of Delaware.
SLC’s plan shows us that after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the growers of this agricultural superpower are preparing to deal with the problem of global crop nutrient shortage, which has led to soaring prices and threatened the decline of staple food crops exported to the world. The prospect of declining production has increased concerns about record crop prices and increased pressure on food supplies in developing countries.
Pavinato said that it is possible to reduce the amount of chemical fertilizer in the next year, but it will not affect the unit yield. Fertilizer reserves in the soil in previous seasons will mitigate the impact of reduced fertilization. She added that most farmers may adopt the same strategy, and the reduced demand for fertilizer will bring the market back to balance.
For the three main fertilizers, SLC has obtained 83% of the planned application of potassium fertilizer and 50% of the planned application of phosphorus fertilizer in the next year, but has not purchased nitrogen fertilizer.
Frevio Bernini, technical service manager of fertilizer company mosaic in Brazil, said that in cerrado, where the main grain belt is located, the lack of nutrients in the soil makes farmers more dependent on chemical fertilizer. Bernini said that only about 15% of Brazil’s agricultural areas can survive without chemical fertilizer. This is based on data collected from the farms where mosaic conducted soil tests for its customers. He added that about 80% of Brazil’s agricultural areas still rely heavily on chemical fertilizers.
Sementes Falcao, an agricultural and seed company based in Passo Fundo, Rio Grande do Sul, said Brazil could have a year without chemical fertilizer, which could reduce costs and dependence on imports. But of course it requires soil analysis. ”
Source: Master Boyi
Post time: May-10-2022