Zhongshan Chemical to launch chlorantraniliprole formulation product series at home, foreign markets

In 2008, chlorantraniliprole was launched in the Chinese market, with its technical material price reaching as high as RMB3 million yuan per ton. It went on to be regarded as the leading variety of insecticide. From 2023, chlorantraniliprole has undergone various series of localizations, which brought down the price of its technical material to some RMB300,000 yuan per ton, creating a significant cost-effective advantage.

With the ongoing increase in the production capacity of chlorantraniliprole TC, downstream formulators have begun their industry layouts on the terminal market. Within the industry, chlorantraniliprole is expected to become a very competitive product on the agricultural material market, due to its unique insecticidal effect and reasonable distribution cost.

Zhejiang Zhongshan Chemical began investing in chlorantraniliprole production in 2022, having formed a complete upstream and downstream industry chain. The company is scheduling the launch of a chlorantraniliprole formulation series beginning from 2024 for application in various scenarios, with the aim of advancing in markets both at home and abroad. 

Action mode of chlorantraniliprole

Chlorantraniliprole is a FRAC28 group-covered bisamide insecticide that acts as a ryanodine receptor regulator, effectively activating insects’ ryanodine receptors and releasing calcium ions stored in smooth muscle and striated muscle cells to cause declination in muscle regulation, therefore, leading to paralysis and the eventual death of insect pests. It is extremely active against lepidopteran pests during the larval stage and egg hatching stage.

Since its market launch, chlorantraniliprole has been registered and sold in more than 100 countries, becoming one of the most effective insecticide varieties on the market. Its global market sale reached US$1.4 billion in 2017, US$1.59 billion in 2018 and US$1.93 billion in 2022, ranking first on the list of global top 20 insecticides.

Sources of sales growth 

1) Return of value in existing market 

Over 10 years of continuous application, the issue of resistance to chlorantraniliprole cannot be ignored. However, with the significant improvement to the price-performance ratio of chlorantraniliprole made in China, its core value of ″strong systemicity and long-lasting effect″ is coming back to the fore, making it to be one of the indispensable insecticides for controlling lepidopteran pests.

2) New crop markets

Before the localization of its production, chlorantraniliprole was referred to as a ″luxury insecticide,″ which was restricted in terms of promotion and application to the ″low use amount″ market. Since 2022, chlorantraniliprole was rapidly promoted and applied on corn, peanut, cotton, citrus, apple, peach, sugarcane and lychee crops, having been used as one of the most effective products for controlling citrus leaf miner, peach fruit moth, sugarcane moth and cotton bollworm.

3) New mixture markets

Chlorantraniliprole is referred to as an ″almighty mixing agent″ for the formulation of insecticidal mixtures. Currently, ingredients that chlorantraniliprole can be mixed with include emamectin benzoate, indoxacarb, pinosad, abamectin, chlorfenapyr, methoxyfenozide, thiamethoxam and cyhalothrin. Mixtures are important in terms of achieving a synergistic effect, improving insecticidal speed, reducing cost and preventing resistance. Spinosad, indoxacarb and emamectin benzoate, when mixed with chlorantraniliprole, are contact toxic and systemic, fast and long acting, and highly complementary to each other, which greatly increases the product’s value.

4) New application methods

In addition to conventional spray application, chlorantraniliprole is applied widely in combination with granules, fertilizers and seed treatment agents. The new emerging types of formulations and new methods of application enable the diverse use of chlorantraniliprole.

Analysis of the competitiveness of chlorantraniliprole

1) Comparison with main products for controlling lepidopteran pests

2) Scientific knowledge of resistance to chlorantraniliprole 

Resistance caused by the long-term and continuous use of a single agrochemical product is inevitable. Like chlorantraniliprole, other leading global insecticides, including thiamethoxam, imidacloprid, cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, chlorpyrifos and abamectin, are all affected by the issue of resistance that cannot be ignored, but these conventional varieties are the major products available on the crop protection market. Since its sales reached US$1.4 billion in 2017, chlorantraniliprole has stayed firmly on the top rank in the insecticide market, which highlights its irreplaceable market position and the product value in the field of lepidopteran pest control.

Zhongshan Chemical’s launch of a series of novel chlorantraniliprole products to the global market

In October 2022, Zhongshan Chemical began the construction of an annual 20,000-ton chlorantraniliprole TC and intermediates facility, having conducted an in-depth technology, energy, production and marketing study of the product, chlorantraniliprole:

The Inner Mongolia’s chlorantraniliprole plant was built in line with the ″intelligent, continuous, green and digital″ standard, being equipped with a 10MW PV new energy facility that provides green and cost-effective energy for the company’s technical material production. 

In 2024, Zhongshan Chemical is scheduling the launch of its blockbuster products - Kangjian (chlorantraniliprole 200 g/L SC), Kangzhonghao (chlorantraniliprole 400 g/L OD) and Maisharui (emamectin benzoate.chlorantraniliprole 11.6% SC), among which Kangzhonghao (chlorantraniliprole 400 g/L OD) was the first chlorantraniliprole OD product made in China, being highly regarded by customers. From 2025 to 2026, Zhongshan Chemical will successively launch its chlorantraniliprole 70% WG in the market, as well as mixtures with spinosad, emamectin benzoate, chlorfenapyr, indoxacarb, lambda-cyhalothrin, cypermethrin, methoxyfenozide and dinotefuran for granule, seed coating and conventional spraying, to meet the need of international customers for segmented chlorantraniliprole products.  

If you are interested in the products of Zhongshan Chemical, please feel free to contact:

Email: zhouyan@zschem.com