China Agrochemical Biweekly: The production capacity of S-metolachlor of Chinese manufacturers is 30,000 tons/year

 

 

21 product registrations were approved in Aug by ICAMA, which are all pesticide formulations.Among all the registered products, Glufosinate-ammonium and Metalaxyl-M lead the registration with 3 products registered respectively. 5 mixed formulations were first registered with the formulation type in China by ICAMA.

 

 

 

Global Market

 

S-metolachlor was developed by Syngenta and first launched in 1976. It has been used in nearly 60 countries around the world. In 2018, the global market for S-metolachlor was US$762 million and its use was 59,300 tons.

 

S-metolachlor is mainly used in corn and soybean crops, which together account for 62% of the total market, followed by cash crops, including cotton, sunflower and sugar cane, which account for 17% of the total. 

 

The global market of S-metolachlor is mainly concentrated in North America and Europe, with the largest market in the US, reaching US$333 million, accounting for 43.64%. The US import of S-metolachlor is estimated to be 15,000-20,000 tons per year.

 

Future Opportunity

 

S-metolachlor has high purity, low pollution, high safety, low toxicity, and obvious yield increase effect on corn. As other competitive herbicides, such as glyphosate and atrazine, are restricted in many regions, S-metolachlor will have better market potential. The development of new S-metolachlor mixtures is also worth attention.

 

The future expansion of S-metolachlor production capacity may be mainly from China. With the advancement of technology, manufacturers will gradually solve their technical problems and master the production technology. At that time, refined S-metolachlor will further occupy the international market.

 

China Production & Export

 

There are 66 registration for S-metolachlor in China, including 24 technicals, mainly 96% TC. At present, the production capacity of S-metolachlor of Chinese manufacturers is 30,000 tons/year, and the capacity of Syngenta is 30,000 tons/year.

 

China's S-metolachlor export is mainly 95% and 97% TC, with the main exporting countries the United States, Argentina, and South Africa. The United States is the main market, but asides the supply of S-metolachlor technicals, there is currently no Chinese company successful registered S-metolachlor in the United States.