EN 
PT_BR 
Soybean producers interested in obtaining higher subsidy percentages under the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (PSR) need to start preparations for the 2026/2027 crop season now. The recommendation is to anticipate steps such as soil analysis and the regularization of information necessary for adherence to the Agricultural Zoning of Climatic Risk Management Levels (ZarcNM), a tool that will undergo a new testing phase in Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, and Mato Grosso do Sul.
ZarcNM was developed to differentiate the financial support granted to rural insurance according to the level of management adopted in each productive area. To participate, the first required procedure is to carry out soil analysis in laboratories accredited to operate the Management Level Identification System (SiNM), a platform created by Embrapa.
The assessment considers indicators related to soil fertility and chemical conditions, such as base saturation, calcium content, and aluminum saturation. Based on this data, it is possible to determine whether the productive area falls into one of the management levels foreseen by the program.
After the report is issued, the producer must contact a rural insurance contract operator, which may be a cooperative, financial institution, brokerage firm, or other authorized agent. This operator will be responsible for entering the producer's information and the information for the plot to be insured into the system.
Furthermore, a remote sensing assessment will be necessary to verify land cover and the history of crops planted in the last three years. With all the data gathered, SiNM automatically calculates the area's management level classification.
The classification will determine the percentage of subsidy granted by the federal government for soybean insurance. In the 2026/2027 crop year, producers classified in Management Level 4 (NM4) may receive a subsidy of 40% on the insurance premium. For NM3, the percentage will be 35%; for NM2, 30%; and for NM1, 20%, the rate currently practiced as standard by the PSR.
According to Hugo Borges Rodrigues, General Coordinator of Agricultural Risk at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, early contracting is crucial because contracts for the next harvest have already begun to be negotiated. He stated that the sooner insurance is contracted, the greater the chances of accessing subsidies and obtaining better coverage conditions.
The expectation is that, at the time of contracting, the producer will already have the management level classification available in the Embrapa system. This will allow insurance companies to use the information in risk pricing and will give farmers early access to the differentiated percentages of government support.
The pilot project will also be expanded to second-crop corn in the states of Paraná and Mato Grosso do Sul. In this case, the subsidy percentages will be 40% for areas classified as NM1, 45% for NM2, and 50% for levels NM3 and NM4.
In this experimental phase, ZarcNM remains restricted to the Rural Insurance Premium Subsidy Program. For the 2026/2027 crop season, the Ministry of Agriculture has allocated R$1 million for soybean cultivation and another R$1 million for corn within the pilot project. The government reports that resources may be increased if demand exceeds the initial forecast.
In the previous harvest, when the initiative was tested exclusively in Paraná, R$$ 8 million in subsidies were made available. However, only R$$ 206 thousand were actually contracted by producers.
