AGRISHOW SPECIAL: New study center, Pesticides Reference Unit will be presented at Agrishow

Eradicating the inappropriate use of pesticides, ensuring the effectiveness of these products on productivity and preserving the health of rural workers are the goals of the recently created Reference Unit for Technology and Safety in the Application of Pesticides. The new study center, which brought together the private sector and the IAC – Instituto Agronomico, a body of the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo – recently started operating and will be presented today to visitors at Agrishow.

Installed at the IAC Engineering and Automation Center, in the São Paulo city of Jundiaí, 50 km from the capital, the Reference Unit already has the support of entities representing the agricultural pesticides sector, while negotiating other sponsorships with agribusiness companies. The expectation is that the study center will attract resources of around R$2 million this year.

IAC studies indicate that the misuse of pesticides generates annual losses of around R$2 billion for farmers and agribusiness companies. This scenario, emphasize experts from the São Paulo research organization, constitutes one of the main obstacles to the sustainability of Brazilian rural properties.

“The financial loss comes directly from the low qualification of the workforce allocated to the applications of these products”, says researcher Hamilton Ramos, one of the most experienced scholars in the agricultural pesticides sector, known internationally.

Ramos was the mentor and is the coordinator of the project of the Reference Unit on Technology and Safety in the Application of Pesticides. The new study center, according to the researcher, officially began its activities last month, with the first training course on pesticide management “N.R. 31.8”, taught to 11 agribusiness professionals.

In addition to carrying out training throughout the year, the Reference Unit is committed to forming partnerships involving agribusiness companies, trade associations and agricultural research bodies.

In the medium term, highlights Hamilton Ramos, the Pesticides Reference Unit's strategy aims to form a contingent of approximately 100 thousand multiplier agents per year. According to IAC data, around 2 million Brazilians currently work in pesticide application.

Companies and professionals interested in participating in the Reference Unit's activities should access the website www.unidadedereferencia.com.br.