Market Trends of fungicide Industry
Increasing average annual economic losses are driving farmers to use a higher amount of fungicides
- Fungal diseases pose a significant threat to crop production, affecting a wide range of crops, including cereals, fruits, vegetables, and ornamentals. The rise in the average per-hectare fungicide consumption over the years from 1.4 kg per ha in 2017 to 1.6 kg per ha in 2022 was driven by the need to manage and control diseases effectively, minimizing crop damage and ensuring optimum yields.
- Among the regions studied, in 2022, Europe had the highest per-hectare application of chemical fungicides annually, with 2.5 kg per ha of agricultural land. This was due to its intensified farming practices and monocultures with a focus on high-value crops. Intensive farming usually attracts more pathogens due to overcrowding of crops on a piece of land, depleting soil nutrients and making the plants more susceptible to pathogens. This leads to the overuse of chemical fungicides to protect crops and maintain crop yields.
- Europe is followed by South America in fungicide usage, with an average per-hectare application of 1.7 kg/ha in 2022. Chile had the highest per-hectare consumption of fungicides at 4.1 kg/ha in the region in 2022. This high usage was due to certain regions in Chile having climatic conditions that are conducive to fungal disease development due to high humidity, rainfall, and temperature fluctuations. Other regions like Asia-Pacific, North America, and the Middle East also have a significant amount of fungicidal application.
- According to the data provided by the Food and Agriculture Organization, fungal diseases cause an average economic loss of around USD 220.0 billion despite abundant usage of fungicides. Circumstances like changing climatic conditions and frequent disease outbreaks may even worsen the situation, increasing the application rates.
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Mancozeb has a broad spectrum of activity compared to other fungicides
- Tebuconazole is a fungicide belonging to the chemical class of triazoles. It is widely used to control fungal diseases in various crops. Tebuconazole works by inhibiting the biosynthesis of ergosterol, a critical component of fungal cell membranes. This was priced at USD 8.7 thousand in 2022.
- Mancozeb is a fungicide belonging to the chemical class of dithiocarbamates. It is commonly used to control fungal diseases like late blight, downy mildew, early blight, and anthracnose in crops like potatoes, tomatoes, grapes, and bananas. Mancozeb has a broad spectrum of activity compared to other fungicides and acts on multiple sites within the fungal cell, making it more effective. Mancozeb was priced at USD 7.8 thousand in 2022.
- Azoxystrobin is a fungicide belonging to the chemical class of strobilurins and was priced at USD 4.6 thousand per metric ton. It is widely used to control fungal diseases in various crops. Azoxystrobin works by inhibiting the mitochondrial respiration in fungal cells, resulting in their inability to grow and reproduce and eventually causing their death.
- Metalaxyl is widely used to control fungal diseases such as late blight, downy mildew, and root rot and was priced at USD 4.4 thousand per metric ton. Metalaxyl works by inhibiting the formation of RNA in fungal cells. This disruption prevents the synthesis of essential proteins, leading to the inhibition of fungal growth and reproduction.
- Propineb and Ziram belong to the chemical class of dithiocarbamates. They were priced at USD 3.5 thousand and 3.3 thousand per metric ton, respectively, in 2022. These slight increases in the prices during the historical period were due to the growing demand for these products and the escalating costs of raw materials used in their production.
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