‘Use less fertilisers,’ Brazil’s Mato Grosso soybean association tells farmers

The soybean and corn association of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso Aprosoja-MT has told its associates to rationalise the usage of fertilisers for the 2022/23 crop amid skyrocketing prices in a note released on Thursday.

“Look for agronomic advice, consider the level of nutrients in the soil and, if possible, plant without fertilisers,” the association’s president Fernando Cadore told farmers.

The note came out amid skyrocketing fertilisers prices as global supply has been constrained by multiple factors this year.

By and large, Mato Grosso’s farmers have already acquired fertilisers for the 2021/22 crop, but concerns are mounting regarding input costs and the financial viability of the 2022/23 crop.

“The price of fertilisers more than doubled… [using fertilisers] is an individual choice of farmers, but they cannot pay these prices,” Cadore said.

The price of machinery, fuel and other inputs has also risen steeply, Aprosoja-MT noted, stressing that “this is not the time to buy machinery or raise debts.”