Brazil sees 9.2% increase in area treated with agricultural pesticides in 2024

Between January and December 2024, Brazil recorded a 9.2% rise in the area treated with agricultural pesticides, reaching a total of over 2 billion hectares. The figures come from a study commissioned by the National Union of the Plant Protection Products Industry (Sindiveg) and conducted by Kynetec Brasil.

The research shows an 8.5% increase in the volume of pesticides used to control pests, diseases, and weeds compared to the same period in 2023. This total breaks down into herbicides (45%), insecticides (23%), fungicides (23%), seed treatments (1%), and other products (8%).

The analysis relied on a metric known as PAT (potential treated area or product-treated area), which accounts for the number of applications and the mix of products used in the tank to manage various pests, diseases, and invasive plants.

Soybeans emerged as the primary crop driving this expansion in pesticide use. The treated area is distributed across soybeans (56%), corn (16%), cotton (8%), pastureland (5%), sugarcane (4%), wheat (3%), beans (2%), fruits and vegetables (2%), citrus (1%), coffee (1%), rice (1%), and other crops (2%).

The market value, based on prices paid by end consumers, reached $18 billion in 2024—a 10.3% drop from the $21 billion recorded the previous year.

Regionally, the pesticide market value is concentrated primarily in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso and Rondônia (28%), São Paulo and Minas Gerais (18%), the BAMATOPIBA* region (15%), Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina (11%), Paraná (10%), Mato Grosso do Sul (8%), Goiânia and the Federal District (8%), and other regions (3%).

Researchers attribute the observed growth to heightened infestations of pests such as caterpillars, leafhoppers, and whiteflies.

2024/25 Harvest Season to Sustain High PAT Levels

For the 2024/2025 harvest season, projections indicate a 6% increase in the area treated with pesticides, maintaining the over 2 billion hectares recorded in the prior year. This area is expected to be distributed among soybeans (55%), corn (17%), cotton (8%), pastureland (5%), sugarcane (4%), wheat (3%), beans (2%), fruits and vegetables (2%), coffee (1%), citrus (1%), rice (1%), and other crops (1%).

In soybeans, the treated area is projected to grow by 7%, with a focus on combating stink bugs (4.9%) and caterpillars (14.6%), according to the study commissioned by Sindiveg and conducted by Kynetec Brasil.

(*BAMATOPIBA is the region comprising the state of Tocantins and parts of the states of Maranhão, Piauí and Bahia)

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)