Europe Crop Protection Chemicals Market Outlook, 2027

Crop protectants are the chemicals sprayed on crops to save them from drastic damage. Generally known as pesticides or agricultural chemicals, it is used extensively in traditional farming, to protect the plants against pests. Herbicides are used in the agriculture land to control or kill weeds. Insecticides are applied to provide plants with protection against various insects and fungicides safeguards plants from various diseases. The report titled, “Europe Crop Protection Chemical Market Outlook, 2027” gives a brief of the market, segmented by product type, by application, and by country. The segmental analyses have been detailed into herbicide, insecticide, fungicides & bactericides, and others, in terms of products, and in terms of application, the market is classified into cereals & grains, oilseeds & pulses, fruits & vegetables, and others. These segments are analyzed country-wise and the report also covers a detailed discussion about the trends, rules, and regulations across the world.

Europe is said to be the region with one of the strictest regulations of chemical substances which come in contact with food. The region is the third-largest contributor in the global crop protection market. The need for better crop yield, which has increased due to the decline in arable land is the major market driver in the European countries. Even though there are high restrictions on certain synthetic pesticides, the region is likely to be growing at a high anticipated growth rate and thus reach a market value of over USD 16 Billion. However, the major market restraint is the recently proposed plan of the European Commission towards transforming the agricultural system into a more sustainable one. This plan aims to reduce the use of pesticides by 50%, within the year 2030, and to support the sale of organic pesticides. The region’s population is growing, but the farmlands are diminishing, pushing farmers to increase their yield. New farming practices are adopted by farmers to increase crop yield. Thus, crop protection is an essential strategy adopted by farmers to meet the regions food demand. The usage of pesticides over crops is a proven technology to increase global food production. New farming practices require new crop protection products, but the research and development costs are escalating. Many pesticides are banned in this region. The costs to register new pesticides for sale are high in these countries. For previously mentioned reasons, investment for companies is high on new products, and they are wary of returns. Growth in the demand for crop protection chemicals is expected to come from Eastern and Central Europe, especially countries such as Russia, Ukraine, and Poland. Grains, cereals, and potatoes are key segments in the German crop protection chemicals market as Germany is a major producer and supplier of beer in the world

The European Union’s Pesticides Regulation 1107/2009 is one the most stringent regulation in the world. The law also stops the export of the banned pesticides; however, many companies make a million-dollar profit by selling them to the lower economic countries taking advantage of their weak regulation. The European crop protection chemicals market is facing saturation in demand, owing to a strong push for organic farming and reduction of synthetic pesticides. Also, demand in the European Union is particularly poor owing to the strict regulatory framework adopted by REACH. Since 2006, REACH has been constantly reviewing all registered and commercialized active ingredients, which has resulted in the ban of high-usage pesticides such as atrazine. In terms of product, the European market is dominated by the Fungicides & Bactericides chemical, which is much unlike the global market. Through the forecasted period, the herbicides segment is likely to be growing with the highest CAGR of above 6.50%. Despite the stringent rules, the UK is considered the biggest exporter of many pesticides that are banned in the region to the poorer countries.

On the other hand, there is a considerable import of the food grown with the help of the prohibited toxic pesticides. The fruits & vegetable cultivation in the region accounted for the highest share of crop protection consumption, which was closely followed by the oilseed & pulse segment. However, in the forecasted period, the latter is to overtake the market dominance. The use of pesticides is also high in the region given the fact that most of the agricultural crops are not well suited to the climate in the northern part of the region. In Europe, there are approximately more than 1000 pesticides, which are in use. This leads to the high import of soybeans and soybean products, cotton, tobacco, tropical products, off-season fruits and vegetables, coffee, cocoa, tea, and spices. Shockingly, high toxic fungicides are traced in many of these imports.

In Europe, Germany is the largest pesticide exporter, with many of the exports going to Central & South America. France & Italy are the top two contributors in the region, who in the year 2021 held more than 30% of the region’s share. In November 2020, BASF and TECNALIA, the European Centers for Technological Development, had collaborated to use Digital Technologies in R & D for new crop protection products. This helps in faster innovation to control weeds, fungal diseases, and insect pests.

COVID-19 Impact

The pandemic affected the region during the first wave quite frantically, and affected almost all different commerce activities. The crop protection chemical market observed a dip in the demand from the consumers who were facing health and economic turmoil during the period. However, the agricultural activities were to be continued, thus the demand for crop protection sustained in the region.

Major Companies mentioned: Basf SE, Bayer AG, Corteva AgriSciences, FMC Corporation, Huapont Life Sciences, Nufarm, Sumitomo Chemicals, Syngenta AG, UPL

Considered in the report

• Geography: Europe
• Base year: 2021
• Historical year: 2016
• Forecasted year: 2027

Countries covered:

• Germany
• UK
• France
• Italy
• Spain
• Russia

Aspects covered in the report

• Market Size by Value for the period (2016-2027F)
• Market Share by Product Type (Herbicide, Insecticide, Fungicides & Bactericides, and Others)
• Market Share by Application (Cereals & Grains, Oilseeds & Pulses, Fruits & Vegetables, and Others)
• Market Share by Region
• Market Share by Country

Intended Audience

This report can be useful to industry consultants, manufacturers, suppliers, associations & organizations related to the Agriculture industry, government bodies, and other stakeholders to align their market-centric strategies. In addition to marketing & presentations, it will also increase competitive knowledge about the industry.