Chamber of Deputies takes another step in favor of bioinputs

Farmers who produce and use bioinputs on farms can celebrate, as the Chamber of Deputies took another important step to approve Bill number 658/2021, by deputy Zé Vitor (PL/MG), which provides for the classification, treatment and production of bioinputs through OnFarm biological management. The Finance and Taxation Committee approved the PL last week, leaving only the vote in the Constitution and Justice Committee given the conclusive nature of the project. However, there is an urgent requirement to take the text directly to the House Plenary.

According to the legal director of SoluBio, Juan Acosta, the bill presents a bold legal framework for bioinputs, which can be used as plant growth promoters, nutrient solubilizers in times of shortage of imported nutrients, control agents ( biodefensive products) in alternatives to chemical pesticides, biofertilizers, among other functions.

The public policy specialist states that this legal framework is essential to separate agrochemical products from biological products, as current legislation does not treat them differently.

“The text innovates by differentiating the production of bio-inputs on the farm - a simple activity, as long as quality and safety criteria are met - to industrial manufacturing for commercial purposes. Without compromising on caring for society, the PL requires that factories producing organic products for commercial purposes register with the Ministry of Agriculture, while producers will need simple registration”, he claims.

The PL confirms the irrelevant risk classification for the production of bio-inputs for own use, on the farm, as it comes from known beneficial microorganisms and constitutes a regenerative activity in the face of the reduction of agrochemicals.

“According to producers interviewed by the report, 5 liters of beneficial and pure microorganisms are multiplied into 500 liters, causing, on the waste scale, a reduction of around 33 plastic canisters per multiplication/application. Each multiplication has quality control and, in the case of a multiplication that does not pass the procedure, the inactivation of microorganisms is easily carried out with peracetic acid (approved for use in organic agriculture), without any danger to health or the environment.” , says Juan when explaining the text of the PL.

The bill also allows the association of producers in rural consortia, agricultural condominiums, cooperatives, to facilitate access to regenerative, sustainable and economical biotechnology for medium and small farmers. According to data from SoluBio, cost reductions when using chemicals can reach up to 70%.

The ban on the commercialization of bio-inputs produced OnFarm was maintained with the aim of ensuring competitiveness among the national industry, which produces ready-to-use formulations for commercial purposes.

Another point deals with what can be multiplied, that is, what input can be used by the rural producer. The PL stipulates that the bioinput may be multiplied/produced from an isolate, lineage, strain or strain obtained directly from an official or private germplasm bank, as well as from another source capable of guaranteeing its identity and origin, meaning that institutions of research and development, such as federal universities, Embrapa, laboratories, industries and others will be able to provide pure inoculum for the producer to multiply -- increasing competition and access to a quality input, suitable for multiplication.

Furthermore, the PL delegates to the Ministry of Agriculture the publication of complementary standards, such as a Manual of Good Practices, which will regulate production parameters. MAPA, in these documents, may require the monitoring of a qualified technical person.

According to ABBINS, an association that brings together producers of bio-inputs for their own use, “With the approval of this PL, the producer will have an inexhaustible and sustainable source of inputs for the production of bio-inputs as alternatives to agrochemicals, which are overwhelmingly imported. In addition to greater independence for Brazil, agriculture needs legal security to adopt the best regenerative, innovative, economic and socio-environmental practices”.