Value of Japanese Pesticide Shipments Grew for Second Year Running

According to the Japan Crop Protection Association, the country’s overall value of pesticide shipments in the 2009 pesticide year, from October 2008 through September 2009, rose 2.3% over the preceding year to reach 340,005mn yen($4bn), increasing for the second consecutive year. The shipment volume, however, dropped by 5.4%, showing the effects of waning domestic demand.

The growth in value was chiefly attributed to price markups, averaging 5% in the year, for pesticides supplied to farmers through the National Federation of Agricultural Co-operative Associations, or Zen-Noh.

The monthly shipment values in the October 2008 through March 2009 first half of the pesticide year, were as much as 8.4% higher year on year, but fell by double digits in the second half, excluding June and August, reflecting a backlash against the high figures of the preceding year as well as unfavorable weather conditions, especially fewer sunny days across the country. The second half is traditionally a high-demand period.

By application category, the total value of shipments destined for paddy fields in the full pesticide year climbed 2.8% year on year to 120,735mn yen, of which insecticides saw the largest rise of 6.8%, followed by 4.3% for herbicides. The domestic market for herbicides got an invigorating jolt from chemical makers’ introduction of new versions featuring lower application frequencies and larger application areas.

The total value of shipments used in the cultivation of vegetables and other crops expanded 3.5% to 118,086mn yen. The emergence of pests and harmful insects in wider areas bolstered demand for insecticides, fungicides and insecticide-disinfectant combinations, which all marked higher shipment-value figures from the preceding year.

For fruit cultivation, fewer tick infestations shrank demand for miticides, resulting in a 1.0% decline in shipment value to 54,898mn yen.