Bahia adopts regional division for sanitary gap and soybean planting

For the first time, Bahia will adopt a regional division for the sanitary gap and the soybean sowing calendar. The change, valid from the 2025/26 harvest, was made official by SDA/MAPA Ordinance No. 1.271, published by the Ministry of Agriculture. The measure defines different deadlines for three regions of the state, with the aim of improving the control of Asian rust and rationalizing the use of fungicides.

The new rule responds to a demand from the production sector. The Association of Farmers and Irrigators of Bahia (Aiba) sees regionalization as a technical advance. According to president Moisés Schmidt, the measure takes into account the climatic and phytosanitary particularities of the different agricultural microregions.

The sanitary break prohibits the presence of live soybean plants in the field for at least 90 days. The measure aims to eliminate the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, which causes Asian rust, the main threat to the crop in Brazil. The sowing calendar seeks to concentrate planting in a restricted window, which reduces fungicide applications and prevents pathogen resistance.

In the west of Bahia, Region I concentrates the main producing municipalities. There, the sanitary break will occur from June 26 to October 7. Sowing will be allowed from October 8 to December 31. Municipalities such as Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Barreiras and São Desidério are part of this zone.

In Region II, the gap will be from June 14 to September 14, with planting permitted from September 15 to December 15. In Region III, the gap will be from December 14 to March 14, and sowing may occur between March 15 and June 25, 2026.

The Bahia Agricultural Defense Agency (Adab) will publish a specific rule to regulate any exceptions, as decided by the Regional Technical Chamber.