Agricultural adjuvants are additives used in an agricultural chemical product to alter its physicochemical properties and/or to improve its efficacy. The increasing necessity for sustainable pesticides in American and European countries and the rising adoption of crop protection chemicals in developing countries are the major factors boosting the demand for agricultural adjuvants.
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Higher application of agricultural adjuvants with herbicides
Adjuvants can be added to herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, and plant growth regulators to improve the performance of the product. Since each adjuvant has a specific function and reacts differently to each pesticide and pest, the selection of adjuvants for different types of pesticides is important. For instance, surfactants are mostly used with herbicides as the solubility of surfactants complements the solubility characteristics of herbicides.
Strong demand for utility adjuvants projected during the forecast period
Agricultural adjuvants fall into two main categories, depending upon their functional properties: activator and utility adjuvants. Surfactants formed the major type of activator adjuvants that are formulated for crop protection solutions, which can be either ionic, non-ionic, or amphoteric. Surfactants accounted for the largest share of 49.0% in the global agricultural adjuvants market in 2017.
The market for agricultural adjuvants was segmented into two major categories, i.e., activator adjuvants and utility adjuvants. The adoption of utility adjuvants is projected to grow at the highest CAGR of 5.91% during the forecast period, owing to the increasing demand for anti-foam and drift control agents.
Strong opportunity for adjuvants with multi-functional properties
Oil-based adjuvants are considered sustainable solutions for pesticide application, but the cost of adjuvants fluctuates as it depends mainly on the prices of petroleum and vegetable oil that are used for agricultural adjuvant production. As the application costs of different single-purpose adjuvants during pesticide application prove to be expensive for growers, applicators are also looking for adjuvants that are simple to use and multi-functional.
Some manufacturers have also introduced multi-functional adjuvants for herbicides. For instance, Wilbur-Ellis Company (US) introduced BRONC TRIPLE, a non-ionic surfactant which provides water conditioning benefits and is combined with patented drift reduction technology. Thus, with the increasing demand for improved and efficient herbicides and the introduction of multifunctionality in adjuvants for herbicide applications, the demand for such adjuvants is expected to increase during the forecast period.
Key players in agricultural adjuvants market
The agricultural adjuvants market has been witnessing high competition among key players due to the increased product launches in agrochemicals such as herbicides and fungicides. This has increased the need to identify compatible adjuvants for crop application. Companies such as Evonik Industries (Germany), DowDuPont (US), Nufarm (Australia), Solvay (Belgium), and Croda International (UK) are some prominent players in the market. These companies are focusing on various growth strategies such as mergers & acquisitions, new product launches, and expansions, to increase their customer base in the agricultural adjuvants market.
