Thought Leadership Articles Brazilian coffee pesticide market

Brazilian coffee pesticide market up 17% in 2022-23

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Coffee beans in Costa Rica, Arabica

By Lucas Furquim

Coffee continues to energize crop protection sales

FarmTrak continues to show some fascinating insights into Brazil’s fifth largest crop – coffee. The cultivated area of coffee in Brazil in 2022-23 reached 2.1 million hectares, an increase of 1% compared to 2021-22.

Cultivated Area – Importance and evolution by regions
Total Market – Coffee 2022/2023

Cultivated Area (1.000 ha)

cultivated-area

Indications in %. Basis in Cultivated Area (1.000 ha).

A highly valuable crop, coffee accounted for the highest sales of crop protection within the Brazilian pesticide sector, with a value of BRL2.7 billion in 2022-23. Sales increased by around 17% compared to the previous season.

In states where the Robusta variety dominates - 441,000 hectares, 21% of the total planted area - coffee growers used BRL400 million of crop protection products, representing 15% of the market.

Minas Gerais was the leading coffee growing state, with 1.2 million hectares of cropping area, or 60% of the national crop. Arabica coffee is grown in this state, and accounted for BRL1.6 billion of crop protection products, or 62% of the market value.

Foliar fungicide application overtakes drenching

Foliar fungicides led sales, jumping from BRL674 million to BRL759 million, or 28% of the market, an increase of 13%, as coffee leaf rust continues to challenge producers. FarmTrak data also showed that applications via drench (jet directed below the plant canopy in the root system) dropped from 28% (BRL673 million) to 24% (BRL652 million). This change in producer behavior will be interesting to keep track of, particularly if follicular application results in greater control of coffee leaf rust and pointer blight.

Herbicides targeting pre- and post-emergence broadleaf weeds came in second place and accounted for BRL727 million compared to the 2021-22 harvest (BRL549 million), equivalent to 27% of transactions, a growth of 32%.

Insecticide sales, commonly targeting the leaf miner and coffee borer, reached BRL434 million or 16% of the total, compared to BRL 374 million, a rise of 16%.

Market importance - segments (grouped)
Total Market – Coffee 2022/2023

market-importance

Indications in %. Basis per indicator.

Overall, we see the coffee pesticide market has grown in line with the additional 21,000ha now in coffee crop. As disease challenge increases, and the crop value remains high, we see rising adoption of products and number of treatments.

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