2024 CPEW Series 5：Regional insight into global agrochemical market - Opportunities and challenges in Ukraine, Africa, Brazil, and EU

The 8th China Pesticide Exporting Workshop (2024 CPEW) was held in Hangzhou, China, on July 18 and 19, 2024. During the two-day meeting, 25 speakers at home and abroad steered in-depth discussions on 23 hot topics. 

2024CPEW agenda

AgroPages is presenting reports on the seven key topics addressed at the workshop.

2024 CPEW Series 1: Global agrochemical market recovering slowly, competition and consolidation to promote balance between supply and demand 

2024 CPEW Series 2: Supply chain collaboration and biotechnology promoting Chinese pesticide industry upgrade

2024 CPEW Series 3: China’s green biological program promoting establishment of a complete crop protection system 

2024 CPEW Series 4: Developing end market with long-term and agile innovation strategy 

Topic 5: A regional insight into global agrochemical market - Opportunities and challenges in Ukraine, Africa, Brazil, and EU 

Vitalii Ilchenko, President of UKRAVIT in Ukraine, spoke about the challenges and prospects of Ukrainian agriculture. Vitalii Ilchenko stated that although Ukraine is known as the Granary of Europe, the current conflict has severely disrupted normal agricultural production and trade flows, resulting in increased logistical costs and lower agricultural product prices. Despite the numerous challenges, Ukrainian agriculture can still appear resilient to a certain extent while part of the crop planting area and yield is still growing, especially soybean and sunflower. The presentation pointed out that despite the market shrinkage, UKRAVIT could maintain its business growth during the war and has become one of the leading companies in terms of market share. He showcased the company’s brand and market share in the Ukrainian market, having expressed optimism about the recovery of the Ukrainian market in the years ahead. 

Vitalii Ilchenko, President of UKRAVIT

Arthur Keegan, Director & Chief Scientific and Technical Officer of Farm-ag International, brings a profound insight into African agriculture. Starting with a recap of the history of African agriculture as an entry point, Arthur Keegan pointed out the abundant agricultural resources and enormous development potential in sub-Saharan Africa. He stressed that due to population growth and food security challenges, Africa must increase agricultural productivity, especially the application of agrichemical products and the advancement in farming technology, calling on CPEW participants to pay close attention to the African market and focus on the market opportunities of this age-old continent, via careful setup of strategic alliance to tap into the unlimited potential of the African agricultural industry. Arthur Keegan says that Farm Ag has 1,400 registered products in Africa, which have access to various markets through different business strategies, including selling directly to large commercial operators, bidding, setting up its own distribution company, or purchasing distributors and establishing exclusive distribution relationships.

Arthur Keegan, Director & Chief Scientific and Technical Officer of Farm-ag International

The West African market has attracted widespread attention for its abundant natural resources and agricultural potential. Chen Haoran, Procurement Manager of Solevo Group, shared his profound insight into the West African agrochemical market. With 75 years of accumulation of brand development in Africa, 23 distribution networks in 8 countries and a leading marketing expert team, Solevo has become a distributor of first choice and unquestionable market leader in the field of specialty chemicals in Africa, particularly in Ghana, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameron, where the company takes up the leading position within the industry, with a crop protection product import value of US$348 million, $286 million and $128 million in 2023, respectively in the three countries. Meanwhile, Chen Haoran says that in the face of a series of market changes, such as the ban on paraquat and market access by new suppliers, Solevo actively seeks alternative products and solutions to meet market demand while safeguarding the company’s brand and market share.

Chen Haoran, Procurement Manager of Solevo Group

The presentation from Jones Yasuda, Director of AgriLean Inputs S.A., focused on the latest developments in the Brazilian agricultural inputs market, with a probe into hot topics such as the distribution pattern and barter trade. Jones Yasuda pointed out that the distribution structure in the Brazilian market is mainly dominated by large multinational corporations, accounting for about 65-70% of the market share, whilst Chinese companies usually access the market through local partners. The presentation emphasizes that although the Brazilian farmer’s demand for pesticides remains stable, market competition is exceptionally fierce. In this context, pricing and product quality have become decisive competition factors. At the time of selection of price and efficacy, farmers often choose products of higher cost-effectiveness. In addition, the presentation addresses the advantages of barter trade, which effectively responds to market fluctuation to reduce transaction costs and risks, and it reflects the innovative spirit of Brazilian farmers and enterprises in adapting to the market to seize market opportunities.

Jones Yasuda, Director of AgriLean Inputs S.A.

Nick Read, President of N-Sight Advisory Services, spoke of the new trends in alternative solutions and market applications for crop protection products under the heavy pressure of the EU’s chemical regulations. The presentation pointed out that due to the complexity of climate and regulation, pesticide use has been expected to decrease further in 2023 and 2024. So far, there have been emergences of new insect pests and diseases, which are challenging the current EU market, like the emergence of the latest strains resistant to carboxylic acid amides, as well as the first discovery of wheat plague in Germany in 2021 and the first occurrence of fall armyworm infestation in southern Europe. Despite the rapid growth of the biocontrol market, obstacles such as pricing and performance still confront its adoption rate in Europe. In the meantime, multinational corporations have encountered bottlenecks in innovation and the launch of new products. At the same time, the consolidation among distributors continues in the context of mergers and squeezed profitability to establish relationships with companies with production facilities. In the face of the high regulatory cost and complex process, manufacturers and distributors need to make strategic adjustments to flexibly respond to policy fluctuation and the changes in market demand.

Nick Read, President of N-Sight Advisory Services

July, 2025        China

2025 CPEW Participation Options：

Keynote Presentations

Sponsorship Opportunities

Register to attend

Contact Person  

Mickey Shan | AGROPAGES

Email: mickey@agropages.com; agropages@vip.163.com

Tel:+86 18705817985

WhatsApp: +86 18705817985