Favored by a climate that allows production all year-round, Brazilian agriculture requires a considerable effort in pest control. With one of the largest areas of arable land and with only about 6% (ca. 47 million hectares) of the country's area being used for crop production, Brazil is probably the largest potential market for pesticides. In 1981, 143 thousand tons (ca. 833 US$million) of commercial pesticides were used, of which, 50.6% was represented by insecticides, 30.9% by herbicides and 18.5% by fungicides. In 1975 the National Agricultural Pesticide Plan (PNDA) was established for stimulating the national production. of pesticides. In 1974, 77 .3% of all pesticides were imported but in 1981, import volume fell to 35%. During the last decade, the use of pesticides increased at an average rate of 9%/year. As a result, it boosted the agricultural production to a record high but it also brought about a series of negative effects: higher production
cost; environmental pollution; and animal and human poisoning were multiplied many fold. Public and government awareness of the harmful effects of pesticides has resulted in new laws regulating the registration and use of pesticides. Research on pest management and biological control of insects has received high priority and is routinely used in cotton, soybean, sugarcane and wheat farms. The recently created National Pesticide Research Center, focusing on the synthesis, efficiency, toxicological, environmental and economical aspects of pesticides will bring new dimensions to pesticide use and research in Brazil. With the development of several programs by the government for the exploration of the new frontiers of Central and Northern Brazil, involving millions of hectares of untouched land, the demand for more pesticides in the xears to come should be greatly increased.