The problem of piracy
The tropical forage seed supply chain faces high rates of piracy. It is estimated that 60%
of the Brazilian market is illicit. The manager of LatinSem, Adrian Belleggia, believes
that a manner of solving the question consists in liberating the minimum seed standard,
which now is 60%. “I have to sell seed with a 60-percent purity level for R$ 25, whilst
the pirates sell seed with a purity rate of 18% for R$ 7. How can we compete? Our
commercial system is complicated and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Food
Supply (Mapa) only inspects legally established companies”, he says.
The agronomist believes that the more emphatic the prohibition, the bigger the gap
between licit and illicit trade. Now, he says, there are Brazilian regions where only pirated
seed is sold. “This is a very polemic theme in the sector. Most parties involved lack the
courage to require the liberation of the standard for fear of being viewed as pin-hookers”,
he comments. “I only use export seed. I feel very comfortable in tackling the problem,
once, when I project the businesses of my company I realize that it is impossible for me
to succeed in Brazil under such conditions”, he says.
30
Weather conditions and smaller invest-
ments in the forage seed sector had a direct
influence upon the negative production re-
sult in Brazil. In the 2015/16 growing sea-
son, estimates point to a 30 percent drop,
resulting into skyrocketing prices. In 2016,
they are up 300% from 2015, year in which
the volume of tropical forage seed amount-
ed to 67,714 tons, according to data re-
leased by the Brazilian association of Seeds
and Seedlings (Abrasem).
Currently, the States that lead the pro-
duction of tropical forage seed in Brazil
are Minas Gerais, Bahia, Goiás, Mato Gros-
so and Mato Grosso do Sul. Together, they
produced 64,734 tons in the past season.
Up to some years ago, São Paulo used to be
the biggest producer, a state that is home
to the biggest companies of the sector.
“With the sugarcane boom, land became
very expensive and seed production mi-
grated to regions with cheaper land, see-
ing that forage crops do not require soils
rich in nutrients”, explains agronomist
Adrian Belleggia. After harvest, the seed
ends up in the Southeast again, where it is
processed and packaged for sale.
According to the entrepreneur, man-
ager of LatinSem Trade, Imports and Ex-
ports of Seeds, the production costs in-
curred by the producers are rather high.
This happens, particularly, due to low
productivity per hectare and the fact that
these seeds have not been submitted to
any genetic enhancement process, also
because of their apomictic propagation,
different from soybean, corn and beans.
Another determining factor has to do
with harvesting, which occurs slowly and
accurately, requiring dry weather condi-
tions. “It is a non-conventional produc-
tive system that requires more operations
than traditional systems”, he explains.
Belleggia insists that cultivation prac-
tices are equally very delicate, as favor-
able weather conditions are essential,
with good precipitation levels for sat-
isfactory stands of plants. “Flowering
is fundamental for filling the grains, if
good quality seeds are to be produced “,
he explains. Besides the production-re-
lated questions, which require accurate
care, the supply chain is concerned about
the lack of support. “We have no specif-
ic credit lines, nor any financial grants
for storing our big crops”, he regrets. “In
With a 30 percent
drop in the
productionof
tropicalforage
seed in the 2015/16
growing season, prices
went up 300%, heating
up the sector
In the
heights
2016, many companies will get out of the
business for the lack of working capital
and also due to the exorbitant interest
rates charged by our banks”.
Another question that causes appre-
hension has to do with legislation. Those
who legislate tend to get their inspira-
tion from big commercial crops, forcing
the forage sector to constantly adapt to
non-achievable situations, simply because
our productive system is very specific”.
Through the National Association of Pro-
ducers of Grass and Leguminous Forage
Seeds (Anprosem), the idea is to change
this scenario. “The sector of tropical forage
possesses 800 registers. It is the only one
with a huge diversity of small-scale and
commercial producers. We need more at-
tention from the government, seeing that
we have the best income distribution sys-
tem in the seed sector”, he justifies.
FORNECEDORES
Suppliers
Estados brasileiros que exportam
sementes de forrageiras
Estados
2015
Valor (US$) Peso (kg)
São Paulo
30.995.719 5.653.462
Mato Grosso do Sul
8.007.064 1.762.752
Minas Gerais
4.530.124 462.478
Goiás
2.510.251 525.475
Bahia
998.255 124.740
Mato Grosso
11.495 10.000
Rio de Janeiro
352
120
Consumo de bordo
27.740 12.000
Total
47.081.000 8.551.027
Fonte:
Agrostat/Mapa
Rapidez e perfeição juntas.
62 4015.1122
• Aumento de produtividade em número de sacas por hectare plantado;
• Minimiza dificuldades com frete de sementes no período da safra;
• Disponibilidade de semente a qualquer momento para o início do plantio;
• A estocagem permite regular o custo médio das sementes;
• Possibilita armazenagem de produtos biológicos que necessitam climatização;
• Economia de energia se comparado a outros sistemas de climatização de sementes;
• Flexibilidade para guarda de materiais e equipamentos quando desligado.
O
CUSTO
É MELHOR DO QUE VOCÊ IMAGINA.
E OS
BENEFÍCIOS
, VOCÊ NEM IMAGINA.
Ideal para armazenagem de soja, milho, feijão e outras sementes.
CÂMARA CLIMATIZADA
DE
SEMENTES
ISOESTE
