Agricultural Adjuvants Market

Market Overview

The global agricultural adjuvants market size was valued at USD 3.72 billion in 2021. It is expected to reach USD 6.58 billion by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 6.53% during the forecast period (2022–2030).

Farming operations, including soil testing, crop scouting, yield monitoring, and field georeferencing, are being performed with the assistance of agriculture technologies. Growing higher yields was made possible for farmers by introducing agricultural adjuvants. In the farm sector, adjuvants are primarily used to increase the effectiveness of insecticides, fungicides, fertilizers, plant growth regulators (PGR), and herbicides. They also improve the solution’s efficacy and aid in better distribution and drift reduction. According to the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), an agricultural adjuvant is a substance added to the tank mixture to change the agrochemical properties.

Market Dynamics

Market Drivers

Increasing Use of Crop Protection Chemicals in Agriculture

Pests and diseases destroy 20-30% of India's crops, costing USD 450 billion in annual food production. Damage and infections must be managed through primary plant protection (PPP) to ensure food security for the country's growing population. Crop protection chemicals like insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides prevent crop contamination, which reduces grain quantity and quality. Technological developments like telematics, autonomous vehicles, and crop protection are all undergoing significant change. Despite the long history of genetically modified (GM) seeds, consumers have yet to become interested in the use of bio-based adjuvants. However, growing environmental concerns and increased use of crop protection agents' technological advancements will fuel the growth soon.

Growing Need to Reduce Pesticide Waste

During the 1950s and 1960s, resolving pesticide wastage issues was a significant undertaking. Most insecticides were not intended to be used with water in combination. However, most insecticides today are made to be mixed with water. Many fungi, plants, and pests have waxy surfaces, which makes it challenging for water-based sprays to achieve their objectives efficiently. Adjuvants are proving to be a blessing in overcoming this obstacle. Any substance that is added to a spray tank to improve the effectiveness of a pesticide is referred to as an adjuvant. Surfactants, spreaders, stickers, crop oils, anti-foaming materials, and buffering agents are examples of adjuvants. Surfactants are adjuvants that support and enhance a fluid's ability to emulsify, scatter, spread, wet, or exhibit other surface-altering properties. It has been discovered that applying fungicides, insecticides, or herbicides without the recommended adjuvant results in a 30% to 50% reduction in pesticide action and a significant amount of pesticide waste. Thickeners that act as a drift control agent in tank-mix application sprays, stickers, and spreaders are the most popular and widely used adjuvants for reducing pesticide wastage.

Market Restraints

Environmental Issues Concerning Petroleum-Oil-Based Adjuvants

Due to the excessive use of adjuvants, there are rising concerns about the impact of these herbicides on species that are not their intended targets. The target plants are not the only place where most spray adjuvants are dispersed; they also cover the entire agricultural field. As a result of the environmental problems that each application (fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides) create when combined with the adjuvant, their use is restricted by regulations. Since the spray adjuvants applied to the crop are blown by the winds into the nearby areas, each of the various applications contributes to air pollution. The excessive use of pesticides poses a threat to the environment, hindering market growth.

Market Opportunities

Growing Demand for Green Adjuvants

When used with crop protection chemicals, green adjuvants have minimal effects on people and the environment, according to the environmental impact approach. The green adjuvants make crop protection chemical active ingredients more effective and safer for humans. People's deliberate choice to purchase organic goods is a significant factor that has boosted the demand for green adjuvants. Nowadays, emphasis is placed on the product's nutritional value because of the high personal income and the resulting increase in the affordability of those living in urban areas. The general public's growing awareness of this has sparked a new demand for organic food products. This directly affects the market for agricultural adjuvants' growth in demand for green adjuvants.

In cooperation with Manufacturers of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)

The typical arable lands in nations like China, Japan, and South Korea are small, and the terrain is rocky. Pesticide application is complex, with ground-based crop protection equipment in places with limited access, like slopes and rice paddies. New pesticide application equipment that can adapt to small plots in bumpy and uneven regions is urgently needed because the rural population is rapidly moving from more minor to metropolitan areas. Unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) pesticide application has recently advanced quickly in these nations due to their suitability for complex topographies, high working effectiveness, lower spray volume, a decline in the labor force, and minimal pesticide waste. When spraying across uneven fields, UAVs can automatically adjust their height. Due to the enhanced precision and resource efficiency of spraying, adjuvant manufacturers have great chances to get into long-term contracts and market their adjuvants.

Regional Analysis

The global agricultural adjuvants market is segmented into North America, Asia-Pacific and Japan. South America, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa.

North America Dominates the Global Market

North America is the most significant shareholder in the global agricultural adjuvants market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.71% during the forecast period. In terms of revenue, North America is the region that contributes most to the market for agricultural adjuvants. In the upcoming years, there will be a rise in the use of agricultural adjuvants for crop protection due to the rising demand for organic products. The strict regulatory framework prohibiting the use of pesticides has helped the regional market growth. The high usage of agrochemicals in the area, typically used through adjuvants, is the reason behind the expansion of the North American agricultural adjuvants market.

Asia-Pacific and Japan are expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.63%, generating USD 1,435.43 million during the forecast period. Growing population and agricultural yield will increase demand for agricultural adjuvants in Asia-Pacific and Japan. Japan leads this area in agricultural adjuvant consumption. Globalization of the crop protection chemical industry has impacted Asia-Pacific and Japan markets. The market for herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, fertilizers, and plant growth regulators (PGR) is expected to grow faster in the Americas and Europe than in Asia-Pacific and Japan due to population growth, increased cereal and grain production, and economic development.

The rising consumer concerns about food safety and the region's rising food demand are primarily responsible for Europe's agricultural adjuvants market growth. These products are used as a secure crop protection option and are mainly responsible for the bio-pesticide industry's rapid growth. Nowadays, safer pesticides and green agricultural adjuvants are driven by rising consumer concern and government regulations toward increased environmental effects.

South America is one of the agrochemical markets with the fastest growth in Brazil and Argentina. Argentina, followed by Brazil, holds a significant share of the region's growing agricultural market. The market for agricultural adjuvants in South America is anticipated to be driven by rising global food demand and growing knowledge of how agricultural adjuvants can increase agricultural fields' yields. Adjuvants are also proving to be an effective solution to the problem of water scarcity in some areas of the region because they spread over more expansive areas while using fewer pesticides and other crop protection chemicals.

One of the world's regions where most people live in rural areas is the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region. Population growth in the Middle East and Africa, the high proportion of people who depend on agriculture for a living, the variety of resource and cost-saving adjuvant applications, and the region's limited water access and fertile land are the primary factors driving the growth of the agricultural adjuvants market.

Segmental Analysis

The global agricultural adjuvants market is segmented by application, crop type, function, and formulation.

Based on Application, the global market is bifurcated into insecticide, fungicide, and herbicide.

The herbicide segment is the highest contributor to the market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.95% during the forecast period. Chemicals known as herbicides are employed to manage undesirable vegetation. The most frequent use of herbicides is in farming fruits, vegetables, oilseeds, and row crops and is applied before or during planting to increase crop productivity by reducing other vegetation. In addition to glyphosate, 2,4-D, atrazine, dicamba, cyanazine, and trifluralin, the farmers also use different herbicides. Using a selective herbicide prevents the growth of a particular weed while leaving the other plants unharmed. The rising herbicide consumption will drive the agricultural adjuvants market during the forecasted period.

The leading cause of crop damage brought on by plant pathogenic organisms is plant and crop disease. Fungi are the primary cause of most crop losses worldwide. Fungicides are used in farming operations to protect fruits, vegetables, cereals, pulses, oilseeds, and turf crops. The market will be driven by the significant advantages of agricultural adjuvants in fungicide sprays.

Based on Crop Type, the global market is bifurcated into cereals and grains, oilseeds and pulses, and fruits and vegetables.

The cereals and grains segment owns the highest market share and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 6.58% during the forecast period. The rising population and rising per capita consumption of cereals and grains are the main factors driving the growth of the market for agricultural adjuvants. Farmers are looking for a way to increase yield as the demand for different grains and cereals rises. Due to their properties, agricultural adjuvants with crop protection chemicals improve the production of cereals and grains. Agrochemical adjuvants are applied to various cereal crops, such as wheat, maize, rice, barley, oats, rye, and sorghum, to increase yield. The agricultural adjuvants market is anticipated to generate most of its revenue from the segment of cereals and grains.

Copra, palm kernel, cotton, peanut, sunflower, rapeseed, and soybean are among the oilseeds and pulses segment. Pulses are a crucial component of modern diets for consumers worldwide. Oilseeds are also becoming increasingly well-liked worldwide due to their numerous uses by humans. The demand for oilseeds and pulses has grown recently due to increasing awareness of healthy diets and rising demand for edible oil.

Based on Function, the global market is bifurcated into activator and utility modifiers.

The activator modifiers segment is the highest contributor to the market and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.19% during the forecast period. These are the most typical kinds of adjuvants used in agriculture. Surface tension, density, volatility, and solubility are just a few of the physical and chemical characteristics of the spray solution that are improved by activator modifier adjuvants. Additionally, adjuvants with activator modifiers enhance the biological effectiveness of crop protection chemicals. These modifiers increase the action of fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides by altering features such as particle size, spray dispersion on the plant, spray viscosity, chemical uptake rate, and crop protection chemicals' solubility in the spray solution.

Adjuvants used to improve the spray formulation applied to all plants are called utility modifiers. These modifiers alter adjuvants' physical and chemical characteristics in a way that makes it simpler to reduce the adverse effects, resulting in an effective formulation for fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides. Adjuvants and utility modifiers aid in more effective product application across leaves. Examples include emulsifiers, stabilizing substances, dispersants, coupling, compatibility, and buffering substances.

Based on Formulation, the global market is bifurcated into suspension and emulsifiable concentrations.

The suspension concentrate segment owns the highest market share and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.15% during the forecast period. Alkoxylate and non-ionic surfactants are the agricultural adjuvants used in suspension concentrate and dissolve readily in xylene, methanol, and water. It enhances the crop protection chemicals' wetting and spreading properties. Due to its dilution properties, a suspension concentrate is typically used in cereals, pulses, fruits, and vegetables. Due to their affordability as farming practice solutions, these adjuvants are in demand in developing nations. Several regional and international players are entering the market and introducing numerous goods and innovations in the agricultural adjuvants sector to meet this demand.

Active compounds, surfactants that function as emulsifiers when the emulsifiable concentrate is diluted with water, and a water-immiscible solvent are all components of emulsifiable concentrate-based solution preparations. When combined with emulsifiable concentrate adjuvants, oil-soluble crop protection chemicals are better absorbed by crop plants. These adjuvants improve spray retention on leaf surfaces and plant cuticle absorption. Non-polar solvents are where emulsifiable concentrate formulations are most frequently used. Emulsifiable concentrate adjuvants are typically utilized in spray tanks to reduce the amount of hardness in the water.

Recent Developments

• September 2022- Paving Integrated Photovoltaic (PIPV) panels were created in collaboration between Solar Earth Technologies Ltd (Solar Earth) and BASF and can be installed on new and old roads and other surfaces.
• September 2022- Research on the microorganisms that supply cereal crops with atmospheric nitrogen and foster their growth was conducted by Evonik. Nitrogen is one nutrient that plants require to grow.