Metal Chelates Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, 2021-2031

The Global Metal Chelates Market is projected to expand from USD 638.73 Million in 2025 to USD 1.04 billion by 2031, reflecting a CAGR of 8.57%. These specialized compounds, created by coordinating a metal ion with an organic ligand, are engineered to prevent nutrient precipitation and guarantee bioavailability for plant absorption. The market's growth is largely fueled by the intensifying global requirement for high-yield agricultural outputs and the critical need to address micronutrient shortages in exhausted soils to maintain food security. Furthermore, the industry's structural evolution toward precision agriculture demands these highly effective nutrient delivery mechanisms to optimize crop quality, distinguishing these foundational drivers from temporary market fluctuations.

Despite this optimistic trajectory, the industry encounters a major obstacle involving the environmental durability of synthetic agents such as EDTA, which has prompted strict regulatory examination and may hinder growth for producers dependent on non-biodegradable formulas. This pressure results in a complicated compliance environment for market players. According to the International Fertilizer Association, global fertilizer usage was predicted to rise by 2.5 percent in 2024, a resurgence in nutrient consumption that directly supports the increasing requirement for stable micronutrient solutions in contemporary agronomy.

Market Drivers

The growing global demand for high-efficiency agricultural fertilizers and agrochemicals acts as the primary catalyst for the metal chelates market, spurred by the necessity to optimize crop yields in nutrient-deficient areas. As intensive farming depletes arable soils of vital trace elements such as zinc, iron, and manganese, utilizing chelated micronutrients is essential for ensuring bioavailability and avoiding nutrient "lock-up" within the soil.

This trend is bolstered by significant commercial activity in the crop nutrition field; for example, Nutrien's February 2024 annual report projected a recovery in global potash shipments to between 68 and 71 million tonnes for the year, indicating a strong resurgence in broad-spectrum fertilizer use that correlates with higher micronutrient inclusion. To sustain this growing demand for agricultural inputs, governments are also intervening to strengthen supply chains, evidenced by the U.S. Department of Agriculture awarding $120 million in October 2024 to six fertilizer production projects to boost domestic capacity and competition.

A second transformative driver is the regulatory transition toward biodegradable and eco-friendly chelating agents, which is fundamentally altering product portfolios by moving away from persistent chemistries like EDTA. Strict environmental regulations in North America and Europe concerning non-biodegradable accumulation in water systems are forcing manufacturers to innovate with green alternatives such as MGDA and GLDA.

This shift is not solely for compliance but has become a central competitive strategy for major suppliers. According to Nouryon's '2023 Sustainability Report' released in May 2024, 74 percent of the company's research and development pipeline was dedicated to solutions offering sustainability benefits, highlighting the industry-wide move toward environmentally benign chelation technologies. This progression secures long-term market viability by combining high-performance agronomic results with rising ecological standards.

Market Challenges

The main obstacle hindering the Global Metal Chelates Market is the environmental persistence associated with synthetic chelating agents, particularly compounds like EDTA. In contrast to biodegradable options, these synthetic agents do not break down quickly, resulting in the buildup of chemical residues and heavy metals in water and soil systems. This lack of degradation poses a serious ecological risk, causing environmental agencies to implement strict compliance protocols. Consequently, regulatory pressure limits the operational flexibility of manufacturers, compelling them to allocate substantial capital toward product reformulation and navigating intricate approval procedures instead of expanding their production capabilities.

The impact on the market is exacerbated by the unpredictability of these legislative frameworks, which creates a volatile commercial environment for industry stakeholders. Companies subject to this scrutiny face increased operational costs linked to meeting changing standards, which directly hampers their capacity to scale non-biodegradable product lines. This friction is confirmed by industry feedback regarding the difficulty of the current compliance landscape. According to The Fertilizer Institute, 51 percent of industry respondents in 2024 described government regulations and policy as very challenging. This significant regulatory burden serves as a major bottleneck, retarding the market's overall trajectory as manufacturers struggle to adhere to these rigorous requirements.

Market Trends

The increasing integration of chelated minerals into animal feed supplements is developing as a crucial trend, motivated by the sector's focus on enhancing gut health in livestock and maximizing nutrient bioavailability. Unlike inorganic minerals, which are often characterized by high excretion rates and poor absorption, metal chelates provide superior digestibility and stability, directly aiding improved animal performance and lowering environmental impact. This adoption is hastened by the general recovery and growth of the global feed industry, which generates a larger addressable market for these sophisticated additives. According to Alltech's '2025 Agri-Food Outlook' published in April 2025, global feed production rose by 1.2 percent to hit 1.396 billion metric tons in 2024, indicating robust volume growth that supports the expanded inclusion of chelated minerals in modern nutritional formulas.

Simultaneously, the rising use of fertigation and foliar sprays for micronutrient delivery is gaining momentum as a precision agriculture strategy engineered to circumvent soil fixation problems common in traditional fertilization. By administering chelated micronutrients directly onto plant leaves or via irrigation systems, growers can guarantee immediate absorption and correct deficiencies faster than soil applications permit, especially in high-value horticultural crops. This approach corresponds with the broader industry movement toward targeted crop nutrition and resource efficiency. This market momentum is mirrored in the solid financial results of major crop nutrition providers; according to Yara International's '2024 Integrated Report' from March 2025, the company recorded revenues of USD 13.9 billion, highlighting the significant commercial scale of the sector currently embracing these specialized application technologies.

Key Players Profiled in the Metal Chelates Market

• BASF SE
• Akzo Nobel N.V.
• Aries Agro Limited
• Deretil Agronutritional SL
• Haifa Group's
• Nufarm Limited
• Protex International
• Syngenta AG
• Valagro SPA
• Van Iperen BV

Report Scope

In this report, the Global Metal Chelates Market has been segmented into the following categories:

Metal Chelates Market, by Type:

• Primary nutrients
• Secondary nutrients
• Micronutrients
• Others

Metal Chelates Market, by Crop type:

• Cereals & Grains
• Oilseeds & Pulses
• Fruits & Vegetables
• Other crops

Metal Chelates Market, by Mode of Application:

• Soil
• Foliar
• Fertigation
• Others

Metal Chelates Market, by Region:

• North America
• Europe
• Asia-Pacific
• South America
• Middle East & Africa

Competitive Landscape

Company Profiles: Detailed analysis of the major companies present in the Global Metal Chelates Market.

Available Customization

The analyst offers customization according to your specific needs. The following customization options are available for the report:

• Detailed analysis and profiling of additional market players (up to five).

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.