Growth Story of INTERMAG's TYTANIT^® Biostimulant with Unique, Innovative and Patented Titanium Technology in China

The recent performance of biostimulants has revealed a whole new world of crop management, attracting the attention of major companies and institutions around the world. According to market studies of the industry, the global biostimulant market is growing rapidly at a CAGR of over 10%, which is expected to be maintained at 13-15% in the next five years and reach US$3.29 billion by 2022. Europe is currently the largest market for biostimulants, but the Asia-Pacific market, especially the Chinese market, will become the fastest growing. The increasingly high environmental protection requirements and the use of less pesticides and fertilizers to achieve sustainable agriculture in China will further encourage the growth of biostimulants.

China’s huge market potential has drawn the attention of many overseas biostimulant manufacturers and also won the favor of large companies with capital strength and mature channel advantages. In 2016, TYTANIT^®, a biostimulant produced by INTERMAG from Poland, was introduced to the Chinese market by UPL Ltd (UPL acquired Arysta LifeScience at 2019, UPL means both entity in this paper). With its innovative technology and differentiated advantages, TYTANIT^® stood out among many biostimulant products by winning the favor of Chinese growers, while constantly growing at an average annual growth rate of 20%.

What is the reason for TYTANIT^®’s rapid growth in the Chinese market? With this question, we interviewed Adam Shao, Biostimulant Product Manager of UPL in Greater China. Shao explained the company’s growth in China from several aspects, i.e. the history of TYTANIT^®, its differentiated advantages, its application and promotion in China, and how UPL made TYTANIT^® a new leading brand known for its high quality and yield boosting capacities by virtue of its resource advantages.

 
Adam Shao
Biostimulant Product Manager of UPL in China

INTERMAG’s TYTANIT^® biostimulant is based on unique, innovative and patented titanium technology

Founded in 1988, INTERMAG is one of the largest producers of specialty fertilizers and biostimulants in the world, and is also a player in the animal health care industry. INTERMAG’s business footprint covers Europe, Asia, Africa, North America and South America. In the crop sector, INTERMAG produces biostimulants, chelating agents, specialty fertilizers, bioproducts and other agrochemicals for agricultural plants, orchards and vegetables. INTERMAG’s extensive and unique product portfolio is complemented by its years of domestic and overseas market experience. INTERMAG not only has its own R&D laboratory, but also cooperates with major scientific research institutions both in and outside Poland to develop advanced technologies. INTERMAG was rated as one of the Top 500 most innovative Polish companies, and INTERMAG R&D strength is also proven by more than 20 its own patents.

INTERMAG’s products are favored by many distributors and growers because of their high quality, high efficacy, innovation and practicality.

TYTANIT^®, produced by INTERMAG, has been used in Central and Eastern Europe for many years and has proven its high efficacy. It is a novel biostimulant rich in high-tech active titanium, magnesium and sulfur manufactured using a patented organic chelating technology. The product is based on unique, bioavailable form of titanium, offering safety and free of side effects. Its multiple mechanisms of action includes increasing the absorption rate of nutrients by crops; enhancing the activity of iron ions, chlorophyll synthesis, photosynthesis and the activity of enzymes; improving the vitality of pollen, promoting pollination and fertilization, and boosting fructification rate. TYTANIT^® is mainly applied to high-value crops, such as fruits and vegetables, as well as field crops, such as rice and wheat, ensuring higher yields, early maturity and better plant vigor. The product is highly compatible because of its neutral solution and can be tank mixed with a variety of foliar fertilizers and pesticides. When mixed with fungicides, the mixture has a highly synergistic effect on late blight and powdery mildew.


Backed by UPL’s considerable resources, TYTANIT^® has maintained an average annual growth rate of 20% in the Chinese market

UPL has been deeply involved in the field of biostimulants for a long time. As early as 20 years ago, UPL cooperated with Asahi Chemical Manufacturing Co., Ltd. of Japan to distribute Atonik, a biostimulant product, in Europe. UPL’s acquisition of Grupo Bioquimico Mexicano, S.A. de C.V. in 2007 (GBM) and Goemar Laboraty in 2014 established a solid foundation for its rapid development in the field of biostimulants.

In 2012 UPL and INTERMAG has started the strategic cooperation which has led to successful TYTANIT^® launching in South East Asia.The product also effectively complements the product line of UPL’s biostimulants and fills the gap in beneficial element-based biostimulants. The company is committed to making TYTANIT^® a new pioneering and highly-efficient booster for increasing crop yields and quality. At present, the product has been launched in Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines and Turkey by UPL.


In 2016, TYTANIT^®, as the only high-tech active titanium-based product imported to China, made its first stunning appearance in the country. At present, its application on citrus, grapes, strawberries, melons and vegetables has achieved a large market share and performed well in increasing crop yields and quality. Its range of application has also been gradually expanded to rice, wheat, peanuts, potatoes and other field crops, showing great market potential.

Cucumber crop treated with TYTANIT^® vs. control

Tomato crop treated with TYTANIT^® vs. control

Years of application have shown that the use of TYTANIT^® on fruits and vegetables can produce greener leaves, thicker stems, better crop growth, uniform flowering and fruit size, faster fruit swelling, earlier maturity, higher yield and better appearance. When applied on rice, wheat and other field crops, the benefits include greener leaves, healthier crops, more uniform but shorter flowering time for early harvesting, and higher yields and quality. TYTANIT^® has achieved excellent field performance, especially in promoting pollination and increasing crop yields and quality, and has been recognized and welcomed widely by growers.

Grape crop treated with TYTANIT^® vs. control

“At present, TYTANIT^® is growing at an average annual rate of 20%. In 2018, UPL launched a high-quality innovative solution, Pronutiva^®, in China, which effectively combines the company’s plant protection products, biostimulant products and innovative nutrition products. This solution functions to provide comprehensive crop protection and nutrition, stimulate the potential of crop quality and yields, help crops in resisting stress, save labor cost and time, reduce the use of chemical pesticides without compromise of efficacy, and decrease chemical residue in cereal crops, bringing more benefits to growers. We have no doubt that the growing popularity of this solution in China will lead to the substantial growth of TYTANIT^®,” said Mr. Shao.

Rice crop treated by TYTANIT^® vs. control

In the future, UPL will continue to focus on crops and regions with high value, high growth and high differentiation, as well as explore the field crop markets of rice, wheat, peanuts and potatoes, and promote the application of Pronutiva to achieve the mutual promotion of brands, and lead the new trend of increasing crop yields and quality.

UPL will continue to strengthen its competitive advantage and expand its share in the Chinese market

In the field of biostimulants, UPL will continue to strengthen its advantages through geographical expansion and enlarge its product line through acquisitions and third-party cooperation. UPL always focuses on the performance of its products, to bring considerable benefits to farmers. Currently, UPL China has nine biostimulant products registered in China, and seven of which are based on seaweed extracts, making it the foreign company with the most registration certificates for organic water-soluble fertilizer in the seaweed category in China. Moreover, TYTANIT^®, based on novel titanium technology, is also a scarce and unique product in the market today.

Considering the huge market potential of China, UPL will put more products and resources in the Chinese market, including the introduction of new products and the input of human resources. UPL will continuously increase its range of channel promotion and product coverage, as well as accumulate data from localization experiments and demonstrations. Over the next few years, UPL China will launch new fungicides and seed coating agents, and combine biostimulants and seed coating agents to extend its range of application products for existing target crops, from high value crops, such as fruits and vegetables, to traditional field crops, such as corn, rice and wheat.