German fertilizer AgTech raises R$106 million for expansion in Brazil

A technology capable of indicating, in a few minutes and directly in the field, how much nitrogen is available in the soil for plants has just received an important financial boost. German AgTech Stenon announced the raising of €18 million (around R$106 million) in a Series B round to accelerate the company's expansion, with Brazil among its priority markets.

The investment comes at a strategic moment for Brazilian agribusiness. The country imports around 85% of the fertilizers it consumes, according to the National Fertilizer Plan, which makes producers vulnerable to fluctuations in exchange rates, international supply and input prices. In this scenario, technologies that increase fertilization efficiency are gaining ground.

Stenon's main differentiator is that it allows producers and technicians to measure, in real time, the nitrogen available to plants directly in the field. Today, this diagnosis typically depends on collecting soil samples and sending them to laboratories, a process that can take days to obtain results.

With the equipment developed by the company, called FarmLab, the analysis is carried out on the property itself using optical and electrical sensors, artificial intelligence and agronomic models. The data is processed instantly, allowing the producer to make decisions about fertilization during the operation.

In practice, this means that the farmer can apply fertilizer only where it is needed and in the appropriate quantity for each area of the crop. Instead of using a uniform recommendation for the entire property, the technology allows differences between plots to be identified and doses adjusted according to the actual availability of nutrients.

In addition to nitrogen, the system also measures soil organic carbon (SOC), an indicator considered important for evaluating soil quality, its water retention capacity, fertility and productive potential. This information can also contribute to initiatives related to regenerative agriculture and carbon markets.

According to the company, customers in different countries have recorded savings of between 20% and 40% in the use of nitrogen fertilizers, in addition to productivity gains of between 2% and 8% in crops such as corn, beans, cotton, coffee, sugar cane and vegetables.

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Brazil occupies a strategic position in the company's expansion plans. Stenon already operates in states such as Goiás, Mato Grosso, Paraná and São Paulo and intends to expand its commercial operations, technical support and technology calibration for different soil conditions and Brazilian crops.

The resources raised will also be used to develop a new generation of the technological platform. The proposal is to integrate sensors directly into agricultural machinery, allowing tractors and application equipment to automatically adjust fertilizer doses during field work, based on information collected in real time.

For experts, the advancement of this type of tool follows a growing trend in precision agriculture. With fertilizers representing one of the main expenses of agricultural production, the possibility of reducing waste, increasing the efficiency of the use of inputs and preserving productivity can represent important economic gains for the producer, in addition to reducing environmental impacts resulting from the excessive use of nutrients.

Source: CNN