Market Trends of africa herbicide Industry
Rising food demand in the region coupled with need for high productivity of the crops will drive the herbicide market
- In recent years, the use of herbicides in Africa has experienced a notable surge. There has been a substantial increase in the consumption of herbicides, reflecting a growing demand for these products in agricultural practices and weed management. From 2017 to 2022, herbicide consumption per hectare in Africa witnessed a significant growth of 89.3%. This upsurge can be attributed to the increased awareness among farmers regarding the advantages of herbicides and their desire to enhance agricultural productivity per unit of land. The wide availability of diverse herbicides in the market has played a significant role in driving the upswing in herbicide usage.
- Continuous and extensive use of a single herbicide or a limited set of herbicides without proper rotation or diversification can lead to the selection of resistant weed populations. Over time, these resistant weeds dominate the landscape, making herbicides less effective in controlling them. Rotation of herbicides with different modes of action to prevent the dominance of resistant weed populations. The most prevalent glyphosate resistance mechanism in Amaranthus palmeri, commonly known as palmer amaranth, was seen in the Republic of South Africa in 2022. Glyphosate is a frequently used pesticide for weed management in a variety of crops. However, the rise of glyphosate-resistant weed populations offers a considerable obstacle to successful weed control.
- Africa's rising food demand has led to a determined push to boost agricultural productivity. Herbicides contribute significantly to increased agricultural yields by lowering crop losses. The necessity to fulfill the population's food requirements drives the reliance on herbicides.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
Download PDF
Heavy reliance on herbicide products and changing regulations on import tariffs on herbicides are leading to fluctuating active ingredient prices in the region
- In the African agriculture sector, weeds have emerged as a substantial threat, leading to yield losses of up to 34% in cereals and staple food crops. To address this issue, farmers heavily rely on chemical herbicides for effective weed control, as alternative methods like hand weeding and mechanical weeding have become cost-prohibitive due to labor shortages and rising wages.
- Metribuzin is a herbicide for control of various annual broadleafs and grasses in crops like maize, carrots, tomatoes, beetroot, asparagus, turnip, soybeans, brassicas, cucurbits, onions, peas, beans, wheat, lettuce, tobacco, and strawberries. The price of metribuzin was recorded as USD 16,580.9 per metric ton in 2022, which was 31.3% more than in 2017. This price increase is majorly attributed to the rising demand and unavailability as it is imported from other non-African countries. South Africa is the major importing country, and it imports metribuzin from India.
- Atrazine is the predominant herbicide utilized in maize-producing nations such as South Africa and Nigeria, with approximately 88% of the maize area relying on atrazine for weed control. Its application extends to numerous terrestrial food crops, non-food crops, forests, residential turf, golf courses, recreational areas, and rangelands, making it a widely adopted weed control measure on farms. Due to its expanding usage across different crops, the price of atrazine has been consistently rising each year. In 2022, it experienced a growth of USD 3,292.7 per metric ton compared to the price recorded in 2017.
- Glyphosate is extensively adopted as the region's second most prevalent herbicide, mainly owing to its cost-effectiveness. As of 2022, the price of glyphosate's active ingredient was recorded at USD 1,143.2 per metric ton.
Understand The Key Trends Shaping This Market
Download PDF
