Brazil’s Top Farmer To Slash Fertilizer Usage By 25% Amid Shortage

Soaring prices for industrial fertilizer have forced one of Brazil’s largest farmers to initiate plans to reduce nutrient spreading on fields by at least a quarter in 2022-23, according to Bloomberg.

SLC Agricola SA, which manages soybeans, corn, and cotton fields in an area larger than the state of Delaware, will reduce the use of fertilizer by 20% and 25%, Chief Executive Officer Aurelio Pavinato said.

Pavinato’s planned reduction of fertilizer comes as prices have soared to record highs due to shortages stemming from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He said fewer nutrients won’t necessarily affect crop production yet.

“It’s possible to cut fertilizers in a year and have a null impact on production,” he said in an interview, adding there are fertilizer reserves in the soil from previous seasons. 

SLC’s decision to reduce fertilizer on fields is a prime example of how farmers worldwide are coping with high prices and shortages. Some farmers are switching to crops that need less fertilizer.- READ MORE