Market Trends of Agricultural Fumigants Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Agricultural Fumigants Market according to our research experts:
Growing Agricultural Production
In line with increasing agricultural production, the demand for fumigants has been witnessing an upward trend over the years. The use of fumigation has increased at all levels of the grain and oilseeds supply chain, emerging as the main insect management option at the farm level. For farm-level storage and in silos, fumigation is among the most preferred methods to prevent the build-up of insect infestations while avoiding pest resistance. However, the available active substances are constrained to a limited number of fumigants and storage insecticides due to legislative restrictions. Methyl bromide (MB) fumigation is an effective treatment to ensure that products pose a minimal phytosanitary risk. While the European Union has banned the use of MB, Canada still requires it as the only approved treatment for the quarantine and pre-shipment applications of some products.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has predicted that agricultural productivity is likely to increase by 70% by 2050 in order to meet the growing demand for food. The demand for agricultural crops is expected to rise to around 6,759 million ton by 2050. Global cereal production increased from 2906.5 million ton in 2018 to 2996.1 million ton in 2020. Thus, the demand for agricultural warehouses, storage technologies, and associated products, like fumigants, is anticipated to grow in the long run. In warehouses, pests damage most crops, and the use of fumigants decrease the loss of agricultural products. Therefore, this is expected to boost demand for the agricultural fumigants market across the world.
North America Leading the Global Market
North America is the largest market for agricultural fumigants, with over 250 authorized products available in its major countries. Management of stored product insects is a major concern and widely researched topic in the food and grain processing and storage industry.
The major commodities consuming fumigants for both storage and soil applications in the region are corn, rice, barley, potato, tomato, wheat, strawberry, cabbage, etc. In North America, the United States is the largest market, accounting for more than half of the regional market's share. The major fumigants in the US market include chloropicrin, sulfuryl fluoride, aluminum phosphide, ethylene oxide, etc. Over 90 fumigant-based products are registered in Canada, manufactured by 25 companies. A few key players are AMVAC Chemicals, Degesch America Inc., Syngenta Canada Inc., United Phosphorus Inc., etc.
