Bayer has introduced a new generation of GM soybean seeds for the Brazilian market.

Bayer announced plans to introduce a new generation of genetically modified soybean seeds, Intacta 5+, to the Brazilian market. Brazil, the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter, remains a key market for the company. Commercial varieties based on this new biotechnology could be available by the 2027/28 season, subject to regulatory requirements both domestically and internationally.

According to Bayer, Intacta 5+ will be the first technology in Brazil to simultaneously provide soybean tolerance to five herbicides: mesotrione, dicamba, glyphosate, glufosinate, and 2,4-D. Furthermore, the seeds provide enhanced protection against a number of pests, including caterpillars, which pose a serious threat to crop yields.

Brazil is actively adopting genetically modified crops, and their widespread adoption has become a key driver of agricultural productivity growth in recent decades. According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Brazil is the second-largest producer of GM crops in the world after the United States. Transgenic varieties are expected to be planted on 68.5 million hectares in the 2024/2025 season. Their utilization rate has reached 99% in soybeans and cotton, and 95% in corn.

Marcio Santos, General Manager of Bayer’s Agriculture Division in Brazil, noted that Intacta 5+ represents a “significant genetic advance” that allows farmers to more effectively address current and future agricultural challenges. The company estimates that Intacta family technologies have increased soybean production in Brazil by an additional 21.2 million tons over the past ten years.

Tags: Brazil, soybean, GM