Brazilian Cotton Growers Seek New Compounds Against Ramularia

Cotton diseases caused by the fungus Ramularia can cut cotton yields by as much as 40% — a nightmare for Brazilian farmers. Ramularia has already developed resistance to nearly 70% of the products on the market, and there is currently a lack of new compounds effective against this pathogen. 

    In view of this, cotton growers have asked the Brazilian government to register active ingredients that are effective against Ramularia and already adopted in other countries worldwide. However, because the disease caused by Ramularia occurs mainly on cotton rather than across many crops, the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply has not placed it on the priority list for pest and disease control. Last week the Brazilian Cotton Producers Association organised the meeting together with the ministry. 

    Sérgio De Marco, special adviser to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply, said: “We know that investment in research and development of new molecules and technologies is large, but introducing products priced far higher than those currently on the market would add an extra burden to production.” 

    Association president Arlindo Moura said: “Bureaucracy is one of the factors behind Brazil's low competitiveness in the global market. It is worth emphasising that Brazil is one of the few countries with a complete supply chain from cotton raw material to end products, a chain that creates thousands of jobs and generates wealth for the country. Therefore pest and disease control in cotton production and the assurance of cotton quality should be a top national priority. Today it takes at least eight years for a cotton crop protection product in Brazil to go from research and development to market, whereas in the United States the process takes only about three years, and in other South American countries such as Argentina only about two and a half years.”