Brazil creates Center of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition

Date:10-21-2024

The Brazilian government has announced the creation of the Center of Excellence in Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition (CEFENP). 

According to experts consulted by AgroPages, this institution could become a "fertilizer-focused Embrapa" (Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation).

CEFENP's establishment marks another milestone in the National Fertilizer Plan (PNF), approved late last year to reduce Brazil's dependence on imported fertilizers. The PNF is coordinated by Confert (National Council for Fertilizers and Plant Nutrition), which brings together seven ministries, public companies, and industry and agricultural confederations.

CEFENP follows the model of the IFDC (International Fertilizer Development Center), established by the United States in the 1980s. One of PNF's goals is to achieve domestic production capable of meeting 45-50% of internal demand by 2050. More than 87% of fertilizers used in Brazilian agriculture are imported, costing US$25 billion annually.

A second Confert resolution published by the Brazilian government establishes criteria for projects to enter the "strategic project portfolio." Eligible projects include business group initiatives, new factories, research and development, and infrastructure and logistics ventures.

Confert has approved and selected 65 projects, including 51 public and 14 private initiatives, to boost domestic fertilizer production. Márcio Elias Rosa, Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Development, Industry, Trade and Services (MDIC), emphasized that this portfolio aims to "induce and foster investments" by bringing the government closer to the private sector and other support entities.

Among the criteria for selecting private sector initiatives is that projects must be in advanced stages of planning, implementation, or effective operation and have the potential to increase national fertilizer production capacity.

BIOFERT CREDIT

The Brazilian government has also made progress in creating Biofert, an initiative combining specific credit lines, technical studies, and innovation research to support companies. The goal is to stimulate organic and organomineral fertilizer production by utilizing urban and agricultural waste.

Embrapa and Embrapii (Brazilian Industrial Research and Innovation Company), are coordinating this project with support from BNDES (National Bank for Economic and Social Development).

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)