Brazil’s glyphosate imports fall 70% in first half of year

Brazil has imported 17,000 tons of glyphosate in the first half of the year, according to a survey released by the portal Global Agrochemicals. The number shows a fall of over 70% in comparison with the 58,000 tons that came in the first six months of 2016.

According to Global Agrochemicals, the fall in external purchase of glyphosate — the most used herbicide in Brazil — is mostly due to a reduction in the volume coming from China. Nearly 16,000 tons were imported from the Asian giant between January and June, a decrease of nearly 40% over the 40,000 tons imported in the same period last year.

“This reduction of imports is mainly due to changes in China’s environmental policies. China has adopted an aggressive policy to contain pollution in its big cities, a fact that has impacted all the productive chain, from the basic inputs to finished products. Until this moment, four big inspections were conducted by the Chinese government, which led to reduction in production, a factor that reduced the supply of products in the market and pushed up the prices,” Global Agrochemicals concluded.