Rovensa Next is stepping up investment in agricultural biologicals in Brazil after securing R$45 million in financing from the Brazilian Funding Authority for Studies and Projects (FINEP).
The 16-year financing deal, awarded through FINEP’s subsidised “Mais Inovação” programme, will cover 90% of the cost of the project and support R&D into new biocontrol, bionutrition and adjuvant products.
The investment also illustrates Brazil’s strategic importance to the global biological inputs industry.
Brazil’s bioinputs market reached R$6.2 billion in 2025, up 15% year-on-year, according to CropLife Brasil data. More strikingly, the area treated with biological products increased 28% to 194 million hectares, reflecting how rapidly the technologies are being integrated into large-scale conventional agriculture.
Soybeans accounted for 62% of Brazilian bioinput use, followed by corn at 22% and sugarcane at 10%, underscoring the industry’s expansion beyond specialist or high-value crops and into some of the world’s largest commodity production systems.
Brazil becomes a biosolutions test bed
For Rovensa Next, which sells products in more than 90 countries and operates a global R&D network spanning 39 laboratories and research facilities and 12 production plants, Brazil serves two purposes: a sizeable biological inputs market in its own right and a hub for developing and scaling technologies for global use.
The FINEP financing follows another investment in that strategy, with Rovensa Next recently opening a pilot fermentation plant at its Monte Mor industrial site.
The facility works alongside the company’s Global Research and Innovation Center for Biosolutions in nearby Hortolândia, creating an R&D and production chain designed to move microbial products from laboratory research towards industrial-scale manufacturing more rapidly.
“Brazil is a priority market and a strategic powerhouse for our global innovation network,” said Victor Sonzogno, head of Brazil at Rovensa Next.
“This FINEP funding will accelerate our R&D projects, further enhancing our ability to develop cutting-edge biosolutions that address local agricultural challenges while successfully scaling these technologies to support growers worldwide.”
That ability to test and scale technologies is increasingly significant as biologicals attempt to make the transition from promising alternatives to established components of commercial crop management.
In 2025, inoculants were used across 77 million hectares in Brazil, while the area treated with bionematicides jumped approximately 60% in a single year. Biofungicides, meanwhile, recorded 41% revenue growth to reach R$1.4 billion.
From niche to mainstream
Brazil has emerged as one of the most strategically important biologicals markets over the course of the decade, helped by its enormous agricultural scale, strong domestic research capabilities and demand from growers for technologies that can complement conventional crop inputs.
The market has also demonstrated considerable commercial momentum. Rovensa Next cites industry analysis suggesting Brazil’s biological inputs sector has grown from around R$675 million in 2019 to more than R$6.2 billion in 2025, while the number of companies operating in the segment increased by more than 50% between 2022 and 2025.
‘Connect market opportunities with product innovation’
Rovensa Next said the FINEP financing would provide long-term stability for its Brazilian innovation programme, supporting products intended to improve crop productivity and soil health while reducing reliance on synthetic inputs.
Riccardo Vanelli, chief innovation and strategy officer at Rovensa Next, said the funding represented a significant step in the company’s effort to “connect market opportunities with product innovation”.
“By expanding our research and development capacity in a biologically diverse and agriculturally advanced market like Brazil, we enhance our ability to create effective solutions that meet the specific needs of our distributors and growers on a global scale,” he said.
