Rocha Around the World

In our series Rocha Around the World, we give a voice to the international customers and partners who are part of our global family.

This time, we travel to Brazil to hear from Agro NZ, the local partner that brought Pulverizadores Rocha into the Brazilian market and, over the course of 13 years, turned it into a benchmark for high-performance equipment in one of the most demanding and competitive agricultural markets in the world.

Agriculture in Brazil: farmers in the middle of a major shift

Few agricultural realities in the world come close to Brazil's. With over 340 million hectares of usable agricultural land and production spanning biomes of continental scale, the country is one of the great engines of global food security.

In 2025, Brazilian agricultural exports totaled $169.2 billion, nearly half of everything the country sells to the world. The 2024/2025 grain harvest reached 352.2 million metric tons, a 17% increase over the previous cycle, cementing a sector that keeps growing in both scale and sophistication. Soybeans, corn, beef, coffee, and sugar lead an export portfolio that supplies markets on every continent, with China, the European Union, and the United States as the top destinations.

In recent years, the sector has undergone a profound internal transformation. The modern Brazilian farmer is increasingly professional, tech-driven, and demanding. Precision agriculture and advanced mechanization have moved from the exception to the norm, from the Cerrado to the South, continuously raising the bar for the equipment used in the field and for the companies that supply it.

At the same time, the agricultural machinery market is under real pressure: in 2024, sector revenue fell 20% to R$60.4 billion, with high interest rates standing out as the single biggest drag on sales, and imported equipment facing significant structural barriers. In this challenging environment, standing out through premium positioning is no longer just a strategy: it is a necessity.

With over 80 years of history and expertise in the design and manufacture of agricultural equipment, Pulverizadores Rocha exports to dozens of countries, with an established presence across Europe, Africa, and Latin America. In this region, the investment in building strong relationships with local distributors and partners, capable of handling sales, technical support, and after-sales service, has allowed the company to grow steadily.

Brazil is one of the markets where this strategy has delivered the most: distributed by Agro NZ for over a decade, Rocha equipment has carved out a benchmark position in a fiercely competitive market, driven by product quality, manufacturer reliability, and the consistent work of a local partner that genuinely believes in the company.

Agro NZ: the pioneers who brought Pulverizadores Rocha to Brazil

The Agro NZ history with Pulverizadores Rocha begins in 2013, through Miguel Nestor Tale, the company's commercial representative for Latin America. It was through that introduction that the Brazilian company first discovered a product lineup that made an immediate impression and set the foundation for a partnership that has now lasted 13 years and shaped how Pulverizadores Rocha is positioned in the Brazilian market.

Agro NZ was not just another distributor: they were the ones who put Pulverizadores Rocha on the map in Brazil. That distinction matters. Breaking into a market of continental scale, going up against established global players with intense competition, and successfully positioning a Portuguese corporation as a high-performance benchmark takes vision, commitment, and above all, genuine confidence in the product you represent.

What led Agro NZ to start working with Pulverizadores Rocha?

Two factors were decisive: the quality of the equipment and the complete sprayer portfolio. For a company that works with professional agricultural producers, the breadth of a product range matters just as much as the quality of any individual item. Being able to offer the right solution for every crop type, every farm size, and every specific need without having to turn to multiple suppliers is a real competitive edge in day-to-day business.

But the decision was also shaped by something beyond the product itself: attentive service and closeness to the distributor. From the very first contact, Agro NZ found in Pulverizadores Rocha a company with an open-door approach, one genuinely committed to building a serious, dependable partnership focused on the customer's success in the Brazilian market. That availability, which has never wavered over the years, was what turned an initial collaboration into a lasting relationship.

What makes Pulverizadores Rocha a reliable long-term partner?

After 13 years of working together, Agro NZ has built a unique vantage point on what makes Pulverizadores Rocha a trustworthy long-term partner. Their assessment is clear: the equipment stands out in the Brazilian market for its build quality, its efficient parts supply chain, and after-sales support that meets the expectations of demanding customers.

The results of this joint effort are concrete and measurable: Pulverizadores Rocha has become a reference corporation for high-performance sprayers in Brazil, positioned as a premium product in a market that, despite every structural headwind, has proven willing to recognize and reward the difference.

Breaking into a significant share of the market, winning over major customers, and holding that ground in an environment of high import taxes, significant logistics costs, and stiff competition from global brands with local manufacturing operations is, in itself, proof of the product's quality and the strength of the partnership.

How would they describe communication with the Pulverizadores Rocha team?

The Agro NZ team notes that communication and collaboration between the two companies have been improving steadily. Far from a criticism, this reflects the maturity of the relationship, one where a partner knows the company they work with well enough to track its evolution closely. In a 13-year partnership, the ability to give and receive constructive feedback is, in itself, a sign that the relationship is in good health.

How is the agricultural sector evolving in Brazil?

Agro NZ's read on the market is as sharp as it is candid: "Our country is currently going through a political, economic, and fiscal crisis. For that reason, there's a pullback across the entire market. High interest rates, uncertainty, and several other factors are all weighing on business right now. But there's still plenty of room to move forward, when the conditions change, and they always do."

This view lines up closely with what the sector data shows. Interest rates at levels that make commercial financing prohibitive for many producers are today the primary obstacle to growth in agricultural machinery sales. In a market where subsidized credit has historically been the engine behind purchasing decisions, any tightening of monetary policy hits business volume directly and immediately.

Even so, the structural foundations of Brazilian agriculture remain solid. The sector employs nearly one in three Brazilian workers, and in 2025, 26.3% of all employed workers, or 28.4 million people, were working in agribusiness.

Brazil's agriculture has a track record of resilience and reinvention that history confirms time and again, and professionals like Agro NZ hold onto a long-term growth outlook even through the toughest cycles.

What opportunities do they see for growing together?

Agro NZ's answer points to a structural challenge that is, at the same time, the single biggest growth opportunity for both sides: localizing production to qualify for FINAME financing.

In Brazil, agricultural producers buy machinery predominantly through government-subsidized financing programs. Instruments like FINAME, Moderfrota, and Pronaf are, for the vast majority of farmers, the primary way to access higher-value equipment. The catch is that these programs are reserved for domestically produced machinery, or at least equipment with a significant share of nationally manufactured components. Imported equipment is shut out of this mechanism entirely, which means it not only faces high import tariffs and significant logistics costs, but also cannot be financed through the programs farmers know and rely on.

The practical outcome is a real competitive disadvantage: a higher-quality imported product may carry a higher price tag, not because it is inherently more expensive to produce, but because the tax and financing framework penalizes it from the start.

For Agro NZ, moving toward some form of local production or assembly that would unlock access to FINAME would be a genuine game-changer, opening the door to a far broader pool of producers who could then buy Rocha equipment on the same financing terms they are used to.

One word to define Pulverizadores Rocha?

"EXCELLENCE. Working with Rocha machines means that neither we nor our Brazilian customers will ever have a headache."

That says it all. In the context of the Brazilian agricultural market, where the distance from the manufacturer, import lead times, and logistical complexity could easily become a constant source of problems, the word "excellence" reflects 13 years of real, accumulated experience: no unpleasant surprises, equipment that performs, parts that are available when needed, and a manufacturer that keeps its word. For Agro NZ and their Brazilian customers, that is worth just as much as the product itself.

Building our global presence, one partnership at a time

Agro NZ's journey with Pulverizadores Rocha is proof that quality and consistency build markets, even in the most challenging environments. Thirteen years after bringing Rocha sprayers into a market of continental scale and fierce competition, the results speak for themselves: a Portuguese company firmly established as a premium benchmark for high-performance sprayers in Brazil.

This is the kind of partnership, built with patience, professionalism, and mutual trust, that defines how Pulverizadores Rocha grows internationally. Not through fleeting entries into new markets, but through lasting relationships with people who know the ground, understand the local customer, and genuinely believe in the product they represent.

The Rocha Around the World series exists precisely to give these stories a platform. Because a global presence is not built on great equipment alone: it is built with the right people, in the right places, over the long haul.

Learn more about our equipment and our international presence at www.pulverocha.pt.