Brazil's agri inputs face soaring biotech prices, tighter credit and falling imports

A study by Aegro Insights shows that prices of bio‑defensives in Brazil can vary up to 77% depending on the sales channel. The same biopesticide formulated with Bacillus velezensis was reported at R$31‑50 per hectare, and 90% of Trichodermil Super SC applications were below the recommended dose, prompting producers to compare technical data and consider direct purchases to cut costs.

Rabobank cut its 2026 fertilizer consumption forecast for Brazil to 45.1 Mt – an 8.2% decline from the 2025 record – citing record rural credit delinquency (13.3% of financed volume) and still‑high fertilizer prices, a situation aggravated by Middle‑East tensions that lifted global costs. The bank also projects Brazilian corn exports to fall to about 39 Mt in 2026.

CropLife Brazil reported a 6.8% drop in imports of chemical pesticides (US$4.28 bn) between January and May, driven by tighter margins, credit constraints and a shift toward generic, post‑patent products, especially herbicides whose import value fell 24.4%.

A new FGV Agro study found public credit now finances only one‑third of the sector’s R$1.2 trillion funding need, forcing greater reliance on private instruments such as LCA, CPR, CRA and Fiagro, while high credit risk and rising default rates continue to challenge farm financing.