Agricultural product: from idea to launch

If you are a producer or have some connection with agribusiness, you may have already asked yourself what the path is or what processes take place until a new agrochemical arrives on the market. This journey is laborious, involves a lot of study, research and, above all, high investments. From the idea to the launch of a new product to its final form, it takes an average of 10 years.

In the case of large companies, their professionals are trained to always be attentive to the demands and needs of the producer. At Rotam, for example, a company that has been in the market for 50 years, the idea for a new product can come through the marketing department, technical development, sales team, records team and even the professionals at its Rotam headquarters in Hong Kong. Kong.

After this initial idea, in the specific case of Rotam do Brasil, the marketing department analyzes whether this product will be viable or not, whether it is within the range of cultures that are the company's focus. If it is assessed that it is momentarily not viable, it goes into a database and remains on stand-by. If the idea is promising, has a market and meets the company's strategies, the project is continued.

The next step is up to the registration team, which will assess the registrability of the proposed product. If it is viable, formula tests begin, arriving at possible formulas. Then, agronomic tests begin with the purpose of verifying which of the formula proposals are viable and whether the results of use are as expected for the purpose of the product.

If the tests do not present satisfactory results and do not demonstrate efficiency, the project is canceled. If good results are obtained, the business development department will carry out a study to verify financial viability (profit margin, cost, sales volume and price). With the new project formatted, the company begins to dedicate itself heavily to the necessary investments, such as improving the formula and sources of necessary raw materials.

As we can see, the path is long and quite laborious, which is why it is necessary to have knowledge and know the importance of all the technology and investment involved in developing the product until it arrives at the farm.

After many experiments and years of research outside and inside Brazil, the products are submitted for registration with different federal and state agencies. After obtaining registration, the product is disseminated internally, for the knowledge of all professionals involved with the company/product, especially the technical and commercial areas. From there, there is the positioning of the new item, work with research foundations and the sales team. And finally, product launch campaign, with media, advertising, video production, brochure, etc., as the company plans.

Against piracy

The task of agricultural companies is not easy and demands a lot from professionals. Despite this, there is a parallel trade in pirated or smuggled products. According to the National Union of the Plant Defense Products Industry (Sindiveg), currently the illegal trade in pirated, smuggled or illegally produced agrochemicals represents 20% of all product sales in Brazil,

In general, all agrochemicals sold in Brazil are inspected by ANVISA, IBAMA and the Ministry of Agriculture. Thus, every launch needs to be registered with careful analysis and approval from these three bodies, in order to obtain registration by MAPA, as provided for in Decree no. 4.074, of January 04, 2002, which regulates the Agrochemicals Law. Furthermore, Sindiveg (National Union of the Plant Defense Products Industry) and Aenda (Brazilian Association of Generic Defensive Products) carry out, together with companies, several communications and campaigns to raise awareness of the harm caused by pirated agricultural products. This makes the sale of these chemical products quite rigorous and is what provides a guarantee to the producer in relation to the products purchased.