Company launches pilot projects, targets lab by 2030
The rapid expansion of Brazil’s agribusiness over the past 50 years has largely been driven by the “tropicalization” of technologies—adapting crops and techniques developed for colder climates to the country’s tropical conditions. Now, a company in the sector is betting on the reverse path: exporting Brazilian expertise to U.S. farmland.
IBRA Megalab, a Brazilian soil analysis laboratory, is investing R$5 million in a technology transfer program to operate in U.S. agriculture. So far, the funds have been allocated to developing and validating methodologies to assess U.S. soil types, as well as to institutional outreach and market prospecting.
According to Armando Saretta Parducci, director at IBRA Megalab, the group’s ambitions go further. By 2030, the goal is to establish a soil analysis laboratory in the United States. “That will happen once we define a primary region to operate in and move forward with a structural investment,” he said.
The main attraction of entering the U.S. market is its scale. According to IBRA, the U.S. soil analysis market reached $800 million in 2025—up to five times larger than Brazil’s. “It’s a huge opportunity that we’ve identified,” Parducci said.
He noted that Brazil’s experience with low-fertility soils has generated technical expertise that can help address emerging agricultural challenges, including boosting productivity, improving fertilizer efficiency, and measuring soil carbon.
“There is growing interest in more advanced soil diagnostics technologies, especially those that integrate laboratory analysis with digital agriculture, soil mapping, and carbon-related metrics,” he said.
Several pilot projects are already underway. One involves a farmer in Illinois who also operates in Brazil and is already an IBRA client in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Bahia. Another project is being conducted in partnership with Agtegra, a cooperative based in North Dakota.
The laboratory has accessed 150,000 soil samples from the United States to develop analysis technologies tailored to the local market and its main crops.
“Our current focus is on market development and client acquisition. We plan to take part in industry events in the U.S. to showcase Brazilian technology, particularly in precision agriculture and soil carbon measurement,” Parducci said.
Founded in 1980 in Campinas, São Paulo, IBRA analyzes around 1 million soil samples per year, covering approximately 20 million hectares. The group also sees new opportunities in Brazil and is investing in expanding its domestic footprint.
It currently operates laboratories in Sumaré (São Paulo), Maringá (Paraná), Naviraí (Mato Grosso do Sul), Sorriso (Mato Grosso), and Luís Eduardo Magalhães (Bahia). A new unit is expected to open in Passo Fundo (Rio Grande do Sul) by the second half of the year, with an investment of R$3 million.
*By Marcelo Beledeli, Globo Rural — Porto Alegre
Source: Valor International
https://valorinternational.globo.com/