Myanmar's Pesticide Registration: Technical Join Top 10 Formulations

Date:01-08-2025

Agriculture serves as the cornerstone of Myanmar’s national economy and is a key focus of government development initiatives. According to the country’s 2021/22 transitional fiscal year statistics, agriculture contributed 25.79% to the GDP, playing a pivotal role in economic growth. Approximately 70% of Myanmar’s population depends on agriculture and animal husbandry for their livelihood.

Key Crops:

    • Staples: Rice, wheat, corn

    • Oil crops: Peanuts, sesame, oil palm

    • Others: Cotton, beans, sugarcane, tobacco, jute

Myanmar’s Agricultural Export Strength

Myanmar’s agricultural products not only satisfy domestic demand but also hold a significant place in global markets. Highlights from the 2022/23 fiscal year include:

     • Rice and broken rice exports: 2.26 million tons

     • Beans exports: Over 1.9 million tons

     • Rubber exports: 200,000 tons

     • Corn exports: Approximately 1.7 million tons (September 2022–May 2023)

These figures underscore Myanmar’s strong agricultural export capability and its substantial contribution to foreign exchange earnings.

Arable Land and Market Potential

Myanmar has 18 million hectares of arable land, with 12 million hectares currently under cultivation. The remaining 6 million hectares represent untapped agricultural potential. Additionally, the country’s annual fertilizer deficit of 1.2 million tons, coupled with growing demand for pesticides and high-quality seeds, presents significant opportunities for the agricultural input market.

Agricultural Infrastructure and Mechanization

Despite its abundant resources, Myanmar’s agricultural processing and manufacturing industries remain underdeveloped. Current manufacturing activities primarily cater to domestic needs, focusing on textiles, rice milling, wood processing, and printing/dyeing.

Mechanization Challenges:

     • Limited use of modern agricultural machinery

     • Strong demand for small-scale equipment, such as tractors, tillers, harvesters, and threshers

     • Post-harvest challenges, including difficulty in crop preservation due to climatic conditions, creating a need for grain drying equipment

Myanmar’s agricultural sector offers vast development potential. However, it also faces critical gaps in fertilizers, pesticides, and high-quality seeds. These challenges present a lucrative market for related industries and highlight areas for improvement in agricultural infrastructure and mechanization.

In the following section, we will analyze Myanmar’s pesticide registration landscape to better understand how to foster sustainable growth and implement standardized management within its pesticide market.

To date, Myanmar has issued 4,004 pesticide registration certificates, involving 332 manufacturers and 215 distributors. Conventional chemical pesticides dominate the market with 3,980 products (99.4%), while biological pesticides account for a mere 24 products (0.6%).

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

The top 10 pesticide manufacturers, ranked by the number of registration certificates, include:

     1. Anhui Byter

     2. Agriculture Technology Co., Ltd.

     3. Chrysalis Crop Pte., Ltd.

     4. Asiatic Agricultural Industries Pte., Ltd.

     5. Shandong Weifang Rainbow Chemical Co., Ltd.

     6. Syntech International Co., Ltd.

     7. Optimus Agri-Tech Pte., Ltd.

     8. Zibo NAB Agrochemicals Limited

     9. Agrinova CropCare Pte., Ltd.

     10. AgriGate CropSciences Pte., Ltd.

These companies collectively hold 1,194 registrations, accounting for 29.83% of all certificates. The top five manufacturers demonstrate strong market competitiveness:

     • AgriGate CropSciences Pte., Ltd.: 241 registrations (6.02%)

     • Agro Icon Cropscience Pte., Ltd.: 150 registrations (3.75%)

     • Agrinova CropCare Pte., Ltd.: 124 registrations (3.10%)

     • Zibo NAB Agrochemicals Limited: 111 registrations (2.78%)

     • Optimus Agri-Tech Pte., Ltd.: 104 registrations (2.60%)

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

The leading 10 distributors in Myanmar’s pesticide market are:

    1. Farm Link Co., Ltd.

    2. Evogro Co., Ltd.

    3. Golden Key Co., Ltd.

    4. Golden Lion High Tech Agricultural Resources Co., Ltd.

    5. Myanmar Golden Byter Co., Ltd.

    6. Marga Min Co., Ltd.

    7. Myanmar Kaung Thu Kha Co., Ltd.

    8. Wi Sar Ra International Co., Ltd.

    9. Aventine Limited

    10. Myanmar Awba Group Co., Ltd.

These distributors collectively account for 1,190 registrations or 29.73% of the total. Notable performers include:

     • Myanmar Awba Group Co., Ltd.: 310 registrations (7.74%)

     • Aventine Limited: 139 registrations (3.47%)

     • Wi Sar Ra International Co., Ltd.: 128 registrations (3.20%)

     • Myanmar Kaung Thu Kha Co., Ltd.: 108 registrations (2.70%)

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

Manufacturer-Distributor Synergy

A detailed analysis reveals significant overlap between the top manufacturers and distributors. For instance:

     • Myanmar Awba Group Co., Ltd., the leading distributor, manages products from several international manufacturers.

     • Notably, 234 products distributed by Myanmar Awba are sourced from AgriGate CropSciences Pte., Ltd., accounting for 75.48% of AgriGate’s total registrations.

This connection highlights AgriGate’s dual dominance as both the top-ranked manufacturer and a key player in the distribution network.

Myanmar’s pesticide market is marked by:

     • A heavy reliance on conventional chemical products.

     • Concentration of registrations within a small group of manufacturers and distributors, with the top players in each category holding approximately 30% market share.

     • Strategic synergies between leading manufacturers and distributors, with some firms securing a dominant position across the supply chain.

Analysis of Pesticide Dosage Forms in Myanmar

Among the 4,004 registered pesticide products in Myanmar, the top ten dosage forms are as follows:

    1. Emulsifiable Concentrate (EC): 996 products (24.88%)

    2. Wettable Powder (WP): 782 products (19.53%)

    3. Suspension Concentrate (SC): 607 products (15.16%)

    4. Granules (GR)

    5. Oil Dispersion (OD)

    6. Emulsion.oil in Water (EW)

    7. Water Dispersible Granules (WDG)

    8. Water Soluble Powder (SP)

    9. Soluble Concentrate (SL)

    10. Technical (TC)

Key Observations

     • The top three dosage forms (Emulsifiable Concentrate, Wettable Powder, and Suspension Concentrate) account for nearly 60% of all registered products, reflecting their dominant market presence.

     • The top ten dosage forms collectively represent 87.96% of all registrations, highlighting a high degree of market concentration around these formulations.

Emerging Trends

An unusual dosage form, Technical (TC), has made its way into the Myanmar market with 104 registrations, comprising 2.6% of the total.

• This presence suggests a latent demand for technical-grade products, which are often used as raw materials for formulation or direct application, signaling potential opportunities for local manufacturing and value addition.

The pesticide market in Myanmar is highly concentrated in a few dosage forms, with Emulsifiable Oil, Wettable Powder, and Suspension leading the segment. However, the emergence of technical-grade products points to growing diversification and potential opportunities for expanding local manufacturing capabilities. This trend underscores the evolving needs of Myanmar’s agricultural sector and its pesticide industry.

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

Analysis of Pesticide Product Types in Myanmar

The majority of registered pesticide products in Myanmar are conventional fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides, accounting for 3,778 registration certificates, or 94.36% of the total.

Breakdown by Category:

     • Insecticides:

         • 1,495 registrations (37.34%)

         • Largest category in the market

     • Herbicides:

         • 1,196 registrations (29.87%)

     • Fungicides:

         • 1,087 registrations (27.15%)

These three product types dominate the market, underscoring their critical role in Myanmar’s agricultural pest management system.

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

Top Active Ingredients Analysis

 

1. Insecticides:

The top 10 active ingredients cover 848 registered products (21.18% of total registrations). Key ingredients include:

        •   Emamectin Benzoate: 152 products (3.80%) – Ranked 1st.

        •   Lambda-Cyhalothrin: 117 products (2.92%) – Ranked 2nd.

        •   Thiamethoxam: 89 products (2.22%) – Ranked 4th.

        •   Abamectin: 87 products (2.17%) – Ranked 5th.

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

2. Herbicides:

The top 10 active ingredients involve 783 registered products (19.56% of total registrations). Notable ingredients include:

        •   Bispyribac-Sodium: 103 products (2.57%) – Ranked 1st.

        •   Atrazine: 89 products (2.22%) – Ranked 2nd.

        •   Fenoxaprop-P-ethyl: 83 products (2.07%) – Ranked 3rd.

        •   Glyphosate: 65 products (1.62%) – Ranked 8th.

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

3. Fungicides:

The top 10 active ingredients account for 803 registered products (20.05% of total registrations). Leading ingredients include:

        •   Difenoconazole: 136 products (3.40%) – Ranked 1st.

        •   Azoxystrobin: 122 products (3.05%) – Ranked 2nd.

        •   Hexaconazole: 74 products (1.85%) – Ranked 4th.

        •   Sulfur: 46 products (1.15%) – Ranked 10th.

Data Source:Myanmar Plant Protection Division, Department of Agriculture, Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

Data Time:Dec. 22, 2024

Key Insights

     1. Insecticides Lead: This category represents the largest share of pesticide registrations, with Emamectin Benzoate being the most registered active ingredient.

     2. Herbicide Growth Potential: Herbicides like Bispyribac-Sodium and Atrazine dominate, reflecting a significant demand for weed control in rice and other crops.

     3. Diverse Fungicide Market: The prominence of Difenoconazole and Azoxystrobin highlights the importance of fungicides in addressing plant diseases, particularly in Myanmar’s humid agricultural regions.

The pesticide market in Myanmar is heavily concentrated in conventional product categories, with specific active ingredients demonstrating strong market dominance. This concentration presents opportunities for targeted market entry strategies, particularly in underserved niches or through the introduction of innovative formulations.