Orange Sun

The Government of São Paulo will monitor the sales of agrochemicals in the state.

The Government of the State of São Paulo announced a new electronic system to monitor the sales of agrochemicals in its territory, a region where the Brazilian citrus production is concentrated. The goal of this monitoring, which will be carried out by the Agricultural Defense Coordination (CDA), agency under the Secretariat of Agriculture of the state of São Paulo, is to prevent the sale and use of illegal products that can cause damages to the environment and to those who applied them.

The forecast is that by the end of this year all data related to buying and selling agrochemicals are in the system, allowing CDA to control the flow of products in the state. These information must be provided by the manufacturer, distributors and farmers. “Every agrochemical entering the State of São Paulo to be sell through legal means will be registered and tracked”, says Mr. Rafael de Melo Pereira, director of the Center for Inspection of Inputs and Soil Conservation of the Agricultural Defense.

With this monitoring, the farmers must register the cultures they grow in their farms. The distributors must inform the amount and types of agrochemical purchased by their store. The non-compliance prevents the marketing of the product, in other words, those who don’t inform are unable to sell or buy.

The Secretariat is already inspecting stores and farms in order to identify the use of illegal products, that can be up to 60% cheaper. However, the economy is only financial since, because they are not approved by the Brazilian government, they don’t offer safety when applying – it can harm the environment as well as the grower who manipulates it.

The secretary of agriculture, Mr. Arnaldo Jardim, highlighted that inspection and control are essential to delimit the use of agrochemicals. “We can’t demonize science and waive agrochemicals, but we should use them in a disciplined manner, in the right amounts”, he said.

The illegal agrochemicals cause damage not only to the planet and human health but as well as to the financial health of those who use them – they can be arrested by the Federal Police for smuggling. The Defense technicians inspect farms and stores in order to identify these products. The farmer as well as the seller have to shown purchase invoices. At the farm, the agrochemical has to be the one specifically indicated to the culture grown in the areas and it has to be recommended by an agronomist through agronomic prescription.

Those who use illegal agrochemicals can be legally implicated in environmental crime, with sentences ranging from community service to prison. The Agricultural Defense fines the farmer, who has 15 days to explain, if they don’t, there’s an administrative penalty, like notice or fine, that ranges from 1 to 1000 MRV (highest reference value) – an amount that can double in case of recurrence. This money goes to the Fund of Agricultural Defense to continue its inspection activities.

After that, the administrative process is submitted to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Even after the fine, the illegal product must be necessarily incinerated, with the collection at the property being paid by the offender themselves.

In 2015, the Defense carried out 454 inspections in farms, 911 in agrochemicals retailers, 105 spraying companies and 33 receiving stations or centers of empty containers. 150 notice of infraction were issued.

You can see the legislation, in Portuguese, on the use of agrochemical at http://www.defesa.agricultura.sp.gov.br/www/legislacoes/popup.php?acti%20target=