AgroPages-Eye on promising market, mesotrione production to be expanded-Agricultural news

Mesotrione is a kind of broad spectrum, selective pre-emergence and post-emergence herbicide which inhibits HPPD, as developed by Zeneca (now Syngenta) in 1984, and registered in Europe in 2000 for application to cornfield.

In 2002, Shenyang Research Institute of Chemical Industry conducted synthesizing of mesotrione, having carried out greenhouse, field efficacy and safety test. In 2006, it was used in Northeast China, and was especially promoted for application to cornfield.

Up until now, there are 30 registrations of mesotrione technical and over 300 pesticide registrations, while in 2016 and 2017, new registrations increased significantly, offering great market prospects.

1. Domestic Capacity

The total domestic mesotrione production capacity is about 13,000 tons, as shown in Table 1. Gansu Zhangye Dagong Pesticide Ltd, Limin Chemical and Nutrichem have all got plans to expand their capacity. Gansu Zhangye Dagong Pesticide Ltd plans to increase its capacity to 4,000 tons in 2018, with the establishment of a modern production workshop. Furthermore, Fengshan’s IPO program is targeting the renovation of a 1,500-ton mesotrione technical production facility. The production of technical material reveals the producer’s confidence in the future market for mesotrione .

Manufacture	Capacity (ton)	Actual capacity	Proportion of export (%)
Zhejiang Zhongshan Chemical Industry Group	5,000	5,000	60
Gansu Zhangye Dagong Pesticide	2,500	2,000	45
Limin Chemical	1,000	600-800	30
Shandong Binnong Technology	600	400-500	Indefinite
Guangfulin	500	300-400	0
Shengyang Sciencreat Chemicals	1,500	700-800	100
Nutrichem Company	2,000	1,200-1,500	100

2. Price Tendency

The price index of Sino-Agri Group shows that the price of mesotrione in 2014 was always on the higher side. In October 2014, the new launches in the capacity of intermediates and technical material led to the price falling down to Yuan120,000 per ton. Several years later, the increase in the capacity of technical material has become more prominent, while the demand has also increased considerably; therefore, the mesotrione technical and formulation inventories have been cleared completely. Additionally, the nation-wide environmental inspection has resulted in great pressure on the production. The price of technical material has reached Yuan130,000 per ton now, which is expected to rise further.

3. Market Forecast

The residual degradation half-life period of the ingredients of mesotrione technical in soil and plant is only about three days, which is less toxic for birds, honeybee and silkworm. It is superior for use in major cornfields, being compliant with China’s requirement for low toxicity, high efficiency and environment safety.

The efficacy of mesotrione for application to sugarcane and lawn is extraordinary. Furthermore, its application to paddy field is also promising. In December 2013, Syngenta obtained the registration of mesotrione pretilachlor, which is a creative application of mesotrione to the transplanted paddy rice, while aggressive market promotions were carried out at a later time. The domestic producers in China have also started releasing the mesotrione series for application to rice, which is undergoing a transition period. The rice varieties and habitat conditions still require more researches and trials to ensure their safety.

It can be seen from the above that mesotrione has great prospects.

Date source: Sino-Agri Group