Brazil's agrochemical market is entering a new phase of regulatory tightening. Although the Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) approved a record 912 pesticide registrations in 2025, authorities have simultaneously increased the number of registration cancellations, suspensions and rejected applications as new regulatory requirements take effect. The trend, which continued during the first half of 2026, matters well beyond Brazil because fewer registered products could mean less competition, higher crop protection costs and a more concentrated supply chain in one of the world's largest agricultural producers.

The approval pace has accelerated significantly in recent years. Between 2021 and 2025, Brazil authorized 3,344 pesticide registrations, while 338 additional products had already been approved by June 15, 2026, including 215 formulated products and 123 technical products. Despite these record figures, the registration process remains lengthy and costly, prompting an increasing number of companies to seek court orders to force regulatory agencies to evaluate pending applications. According to data presented by AllierBrasil, judicial approvals at Anvisa for toxicological assessments increased 395% between 2019 and 2025, while environmental approvals through lawsuits at Ibama surged by 2,666% during the same period.

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While Brazil is approving more products than ever, it is also witnessing a growing number of voluntary registration cancellations. MAPA published 158 registration cancellations in 2025, a 44.95% increase compared with 2024, while another 55 registrations had already been cancelled during the first half of 2026. According to Flavio Hirata, partner at AllierBrasil and founder of look2agro™, companies increasingly withdraw registrations because maintaining them has become significantly more expensive. Annual regulatory fees, toxicological and environmental re-evaluations-often lasting more than a decade-and repeated updates required by new legislation have transformed registration maintenance into a multimillion-dollar commitment.

Companies also face mounting compliance costs while applications remain under review. Every regulatory update requires dossiers to be revised, additional studies to be submitted and technical documentation to be updated, often several times before a final decision is reached. Failure to meet regulatory deadlines now results in automatic rejection of applications, making compliance itself a decisive factor in determining whether companies continue investing in a registration or abandon it altogether.

The tougher regulatory environment reflects coordinated action by MAPA, Anvisa and Ibama, the three agencies responsible for pesticide registration in Brazil. Recent measures include automated toxicological screening, mandatory document updates for widely used active ingredients, the launch of a fully digital registration platform known as Sispa, new occupational risk assessment rules and the implementation of Brazil's new Pesticides Law, which introduces stricter obligations for registration holders.

Recent Regulatory Changes

The impact of these new rules is already visible in recent applications. According to Anvisa, 57.6% of all rejected registration requests under the new Flora system involved applications submitted between 2021 and 2025, highlighting how recently filed dossiers are being affected by tighter compliance requirements.

Anvisa - Rejected Registration Applications (Flora)

Source: Anvisa Resolution No. 176; adapted by AllierBrasil.

MAPA's first regulatory notice produced a similar outcome. Most suspended registrations involved products approved between 2010 and 2020, reflecting the government's effort to update documentation for older registrations.

Registration Suspensions - MAPA Notice No. 1

Source: MAPA Acts No. 61, 15 and 38; adapted by AllierBrasil.

Another challenge comes from the implementation of Sispa, Brazil's new digital registration platform. Depending on the product category, companies have as little as 90 days to adapt their documentation, with the first deadline expiring on August 24, 2026. Because many technical documents must be obtained from overseas suppliers, companies are expanding regulatory teams and outsourcing specialized compliance work to meet the deadlines.

The recently enacted Pesticides Law (Law 14,785/23) introduces another significant change. Once implementing regulations are finalized, registration holders will have two years to begin production and commercialization after receiving approval, or risk losing their registrations altogether. Industry experts expect this requirement to trigger additional registration cancellations over the coming years.

For Brazil's agribusiness sector, the challenge is no longer simply approving more products. Maintaining a competitive agrochemical market has become equally important. Crop protection products remain indispensable for sustaining the productivity that has made Brazil the world's leading exporter of soybeans, corn, cotton and several other agricultural commodities. Fewer registered suppliers ultimately mean fewer commercial options, reduced competition and potentially higher production costs for farmers, at a time when global food demand continues to rise and Brazil's role as the world's agricultural powerhouse has never been more strategic.