11 November 2026, Brasília, BR: Brazil’s crop protection sector is divided over a push to raise import tariffs on formulated pesticides from zero to 35 percent, after the country’s main farm-input advisory committee recommended against the increase and a formulator quit the industry’s leading trade association in protest.
Sindiveg, the National Union of the Plant Defense Products Industry, filed a request with Brazil’s Foreign Trade Chamber, Camex, in October asking for the import tax on formulated herbicides, fungicides and insecticides widely used in soybean production, including products based on 2,4-D and glufosinate, to rise from zero to 35 percent. Abifina, which represents Brazil’s fine chemicals industry, filed a separate and smaller request asking for an 8 to 10 percent tariff on four specific pesticide products for a 12-month period.
Industry Splits
Tecnomyl Brasil, which develops and formulates crop protection products and biologicals, announced it will leave Sindiveg starting next year, citing disagreement over how the association handled the tariff push. In a statement, the company said it was not consulted before Sindiveg filed its request and cited a lack of dialogue within the group. It said it opposes protectionist measures that raise costs, restrict competition and narrow the range of products available to farmers, warning that such measures would pressure margins across the supply chain and could add to food price inflation.
On November 6, most members of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Câmara Temática de Insumos Agropecuários, the thematic committee that advises on farm input policy, voted to send Camex a position opposing the tariff increase. Entities voting against the increase included Aprosoja, the National Confederation of Agriculture (CNA), Abrapa, Aenda, Andav, the Brazilian Rural Society and Sindag. Sindiveg, Abifina, Unifito and Anpii Bio voted in favor. Roberto Levrero, who chairs the committee, said the sector’s focus should be on creating incentives rather than raising taxes.
Separately, Aenda, which represents companies that import generic pesticides, asked Camex to cut the import tax on formulated insecticides sold in packaging of up to 7.5 kilograms from the current 7.2 percent down to zero, a request that will be considered alongside the Sindiveg and Abifina proposals.
Pending Decision
The competing proposals went before Camex’s Tariff Alteration Committee on November 10 for review. Grower groups have warned that any increase in import tariffs would raise production costs at a time when many farmers are already under financial strain, with representatives of the soy, corn and cotton sectors saying higher costs would likely be passed down the supply chain and squeeze margins further. Sindiveg and Abifina have argued that the increase is needed to respond to a rising share of Chinese generic products in Brazil’s pesticide import market, while opponents including Aenda and major grower associations say the measure would raise costs across the board without addressing the underlying competitiveness of domestic formulators.
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