Monsanto imports raw materials for Glyphosate
From China
11 May 10
Monsanto began to put into
practice something that until now was only a threat. A ship
landed today at the port of Santos with 300 tons of the raw
material used in the production of Glyphosate, which is
primary ingredient used in Roundup herbicide. The shipment
was imported by its Brazilian subsidiary.
The volume represents 4% of the
production at the Monsanto plant in Camaçari (BA) which
remained in limbo due to the changes made by the Board of
Foreign Trade (CAMEX), Ministry of Development, the
anti-dumping tariffs imposed on Chinese Glyphosate. The
product will leave Santo for Sao Jose dos Campos (SP), where
600,000 liters of herbicide will be produced.
"We had hoped that the process of antidumping tariff would
have been resolved before our need to import it; however, as
it wasn't we've had to adjust. It is a small volume, but
will serve to see how the industrial processes will go
forward," said Ricardo Madureira, Director General of Corp
Protection at Monsanto South America
With the move may start a process of replacing at least part
of the production of raw materials the company's centralized
Camaçari. The Brazilian branch of Monsanto still has not
defined the strategy will continue to import phosphonomethyl
iminodiacetic acid (PIA) - the raw material for Glyphosphate -
to make the wording in Sao Jose dos Campos, or even suspend
the production of raw material in Bahia. "There is a
'deadline' for that decision. We are waiting for a solution
to this issue at the next meeting of Camex," said Madureira.
Although the future of production in Camaçari is undefined,
it has not been ruled out the possibility of Monsanto itself
importing raw material from China, which could cause the
closing of the Bahia plant - the only one producing the raw
material in the country.
The first application for review of the antidumping tariff
was filed with the Ministry of Industry and Foreign Trade in
October last year. A new request was made in March this
year, but so far the government has postponed taking a final
decision. What is being discussed by the government is to
replace the existing rate of 2.1% import duty on Chinese
Glyphosate for a minimum price US$ 3.60 per kilo.
Valor Econômico
Autor: Alexandre Inacio, de São Paulo
