Increased productivity, combined with cost reduction and the development of more sustainable resource-based planting systems, are some of the main attractions for the use of bio-inputs, which grows every year in Brazil. In both organic and conventional agriculture, producers increasingly seek this resource for the nutrition of fertilizers in the soil or in the control of pests that attack crops.

For 30 years, producer Joe Valle has been growing organic inputs on his farm specializing in the agricultural production of organic products. Located in the rural center of Lamarão, in Brasilia, the farm has 50 hectares of vegetables and also produces fruits, milk, eggs and even organic meat.

For him, bio-inputs facilitate the production of organics and provide healthier food to society. He points out that the bio-inputs made on the farm are the result of already established methodologies. “Today, most of the products used in the crops are produced on the farm itself. The bedding of the animals on the property, for example, is made of a mixture of organic waste with remineralized rocks, ”he explains.

This mixture goes through a composting process, with two "shifts" a day, using sedimentary rocks, with the addition of sawdust, charcoal and manure. The mix is ​​processed and transferred to the composting process. When the compost is mature, it is used as a nutrient for plants.

The Fazenda also produces a tea composed of a pool of microorganisms to ensure the balance of the environment and thus strengthen the plants. “We work with algae extract, fish extract, molasses and a carbohydrate source that is starch. So, we created this quantity of beneficial compound microorganism, with a lot of oxygen, multiplier, which serves as input in the field ”, he explained.

For Joe Valle, the National Bio-input Program launched by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply three months ago, is the way of the future. "It is a fundamental tool to increase the scale of organics in Brazil," he explains.

But it is not only in the production of organics where the use of bio-inputs brings benefits. At Fazenda Nova Aliança, in Planaltina (DF), bio-inputs have been used for the past eight years to plant beans, soybeans and corn. “Today we hardly use chemicals anymore. We prepare the soil with zero tillage and with balanced fertilizers ”, says agronomist and rural producer Hélio Dal Bello.

For him, the adherence of rural producers to sustainable and economic agricultural practices, which use more bio-inputs and biological organisms, is growing in Brazil. “We invest in sustainable agriculture, we have to be responsible, take care of the streams and maintain the auxiliary forest in the fields. The National Bioinsumo Program encourages the use of biological resources in Brazilian agriculture. Producers are getting results and looking for more information on bio-inputs, ”he says.

The number of biological pesticides registered with the Ministry of Agriculture has advanced. There are 275 products including bioacaricides, bioinsecides, biofungicides and bioformicides, and 321 inoculants, a biological input that contains microorganisms with beneficial action for plant growth.

In 2019, the national biodefensives market moved 675 million Brazilian reais, a growth of around 15% compared to 2018, and above the estimated international growth average. The data is from Croplife Brasil, an association that represents development and innovation industries in the areas of biotechnology, germplasm, chemical pesticides and biodefensive. The global average of new biologics registered per year has increased from three to 11 in the last decade.

Likewise, according to the association, in 2018, the sector conducted a survey, involving users of biological inputs in 15 states and 11 different cultures. The study concluded that 96% of the respondents believe that the use (adoption rate) of biodefensives will grow in the next five years.

The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), linked to the Map, has extensive research work dedicated to biological control. There are 632 researchers working on 73 projects related to the subject and distributed in 40 units.

The objective of the National Bio-input Program is to take advantage of the potential of Brazilian biodiversity to reduce the dependence of rural producers on imported inputs and expand the supply of raw materials for the sector.

The Director of Innovation for Mapa, Cleber Oliveira Soares, points out that the program is one of the pillars of the bioeconomic vision that the portfolio is developing to promote access, development and sustainable use.