Brazilian company Agrion Fertilizantes aims to produce up to 500,000 metric tons of fertilizer annually from sugarcane waste by 2031, a strategy designed to reduce the country’s heavy reliance on imported agricultural inputs.
Founder and chief executive Ernani Judice outlined the expansion plan during an industry event hosted by consultancy Datagro in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo state. The initiative focuses on converting byproducts from Brazil’s massive sugarcane industry into fertilizer products that could support domestic agriculture.
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugar, cultivating hundreds of millions of tons of sugarcane each year. At the same time, the country depends heavily on foreign suppliers for fertilizers used across its vast farming sector.
According to data from Embrapa, Brazil imports roughly 85% of the 41 million tons of fertilizer it consumes annually. That dependence has become increasingly sensitive to global geopolitical developments that affect commodity supply chains.
Recent tensions involving Iran have highlighted those vulnerabilities. Data from consultancy Agrinvest shows that about 41% of Brazil’s imported urea — a key ingredient in many fertilizers — traveled through the Strait of Hormuz in 2025, making supply susceptible to disruptions in the Middle East.
Judice said Brazil sources about one-fifth of its fertilizer from regions frequently affected by geopolitical instability. “There is always something happening somewhere,” he said during the presentation.
Agrion’s business model centers on building fertilizer production plants next to existing sugar and ethanol mills, allowing the company to process sugarcane waste into nutrient-rich agricultural inputs.
The company currently operates three factories in Brazil. One facility already produces around 40,000 tons of fertilizer annually, while two additional plants are under construction.
Agrion plans to expand to ten production sites by 2031. If completed, those facilities could collectively generate half a million tons of fertilizer each year and produce revenue approaching 2 billion reais.
The project has attracted backing from the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, which has invested $20 million in the company so far. According to Judice, the fund could increase its support to as much as $50 million as Agrion expands its operations.
While the output would represent only a portion of Brazil’s total fertilizer demand, the initiative highlights growing efforts within the country to strengthen domestic supply chains and reduce exposure to global market shocks.