Agricultural Adjuvants Market Size, By Product (Activator, Utility), By Chemical Group (Alkoxylates, Sulfonates, Organosilicon), By Crop Type (Cereals & Grains, Oilseeds & Pulses, Fruits & Vegetables), By Application (Herbicides, Insecticides, Fungicides), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Growth Potential, Competitive Landscape & Forecast, 2021 – 2027

Industry Overview

Agricultural Adjuvants Market size was 2,859.62 million in 2020 and will grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2021 to 2027. Adjuvants are compounds added to herbicide, fungicide, insecticides or any other crop protection agent formulation to facilitate the mixing, application, or effectiveness of that compound.
 

Growing demand for better crop yield due to the depletion of agricultural lands owing to urbanization and rising population is expected to drive agricultural adjuvants market. The demand for food grains is rising owing to many emerging economies moving from lower-income countries to middle-income countries. As they become richer, the demand for better and fresh food increases.
 

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Farmers are looking for opportunities to generate huge profits by increasing their land productivity. Arable lands are shrinking rapidly owing to numerous factors such as soil pollution, industrialization, urbanization, growing threats from pests & insects, etc. Farmers are protecting their yield from damage due to pests, pathogens, weeds, and rodents by using pesticides & insecticides. For that purpose, adjuvants are primarily used to help pesticides improve their efficacy along with application on crops.
 

In developed economies, commercialization of the agriculture sector will give a thrust to agriculture adjuvant demand. Many environmental regulations force farmers to use biodegradable products. Many industry players associated with adjuvants are providing ecofriendly products, which makes them viable. The products comply with environmental norms and assure that the demand for adjuvants will further increase in the future.
 

In emerging economies, the agriculture adjuvants market faces challenges such as limited product awareness and knowledge on the effective usage & compatibility of products with different pesticides. With various governments taking initiatives and improving farming methods in developing economies, the market growth rate is expected to propel in the near future.
 

Lack of awareness regarding the usage of agricultural adjuvants to improve and enhance the efficacy of pesticides is hampering the agricultural adjuvants market growth. Many farmers in emerging economies have little or no information on agricultural adjuvants and their benefits. With government support, various NGOs associated with the agriculture sector are educating farmers regarding the use of agricultural adjuvants.
 

Activators to remain dominant in the industry

The activators segment will generate around USD 2.5 billion by 2027. Activator adjuvants are compounds that are added to the spray tanks to increase herbicidal activities. Activator adjuvants include surfactants and oil carriers. Surfactants are widely used as they are relatively low-priced and easily available in the agricultural adjuvants market.
 

Among surfactants, anionic surfactants are majorly used for agricultural purposes. Surfactants are the most used activators and are probably the most important product of all adjuvants. Oil carrier-based activators are phytobland oils, crop oil concentrates, petroleum oils, vegetable oils, etc.
 

Alkoxylates will follow an upward trajectory

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In 2020, the alkoxylates segment generated over USD 1 billion. Alkoxylates are non-ionic surfactants that are manufactured through the ethoxylation of various compounds such as alkyl phenol, fatty alcohol, fatty acid, fatty amine, castor oil, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, etc. In agricultural applications.
 

Non-Ionic (having no net electrical charge) surfactants (NIS) make up most products, although a number of formulations utilize anionic surfactants to disperse formulations in a dry form. Alkoxylate-based adjuvants act as wetting or spreading agents and their main role is to act on the surface of a droplet to reduce surface tension. Due to superior properties, alkoxylates are widely used in adjuvants and the increasing product awareness in emerging economies will augment the overall non-ionic surfactants market share over the forecast timeframe.
 

The others segment includes poly acrylamides, polysaccharides, gums, etc. and will account for around 8% share by 2027. Poly acrylamides act as drift control agents that reduce spray drift that occur when the spray droplets are carried away by breezes from the target area. These changes the viscoelastic property of the solution that results in coarser spray, thereby minimizing the number of small droplets.
 

Cereal & grains to drive the revenue generation

The cereal & grains segment will witness around 5.5% CAGR through 2027. The cereals & grains segment includes cash crops such as corn, wheat, rice, barley, etc. Adjuvants are largely used to enhance the properties of the pesticides used in the cultivation of cash crops. It is the main source of income for farmers so if any harm is caused to the yield it will directly affect the financial health of the farmer or the cultivation owner.
 

Farms in which corn, wheat, and rice are grown are very big and covering all the crops with pesticides is not feasible, thus adjuvants are used in wetting, spreading, dispersing, and emulsifying the spray to enhance herbicide/pesticide activities.
 

Herbicides application will accommodate decent market share

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The herbicides segment holds around 60% share in agricultural adjuvants market. Herbicides are also called weedicides as they are used to control and inhibit the growth of unwanted plants. Herbicide manufacturers carry out research & development activities to develop products that are specific to each type of adjuvants. These types of adjuvants include buffering agents, emulsifiers, stabilizing agents, anti-foam agents, and compatibility agents, among others.
 

Agricultural adjuvants are primarily used as additives to spray mixtures mainly with in-crop post-emergence or in pre-plant burndown herbicide application. In many tropical regions, unwanted plants find the necessary climate to grow, draining the nutrients required for the development of crops & plants. Growing demand for herbicides will have a positive impact on the agricultural adjuvants industry during the projected period.
 

The others segment will generate around USD 500 million in 2027. Fertilizer adjuvants along with growth regulators are incorporated in this segment. Adjuvants are used with various fertilizers to enhance their properties. This increases water penetration through soil which results in better growth and quality.
 

Asia Pacific to be the most lucrative region

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Asia Pacific will witness around 4% CAGR in agricultural adjuvants market as the region consists of many agriculture-intensive economies. Climate in this region is favorable for most crops. Wheat, rice, and sugarcane are among the largest grown crops in the region.
 

Almost 60% of the global population resides in this region; hence, demand is present and with increasing industrialization & urbanization, the arable land is decreasing at a very fast rate in this region. This ultimately pressurizes farmers to increase their yield. Agricultural adjuvants help in increasing crop yields by aiding the efficacy of the agrochemicals, thereby improving the overall crop yield. With growing population and rising demand for better crops.
 

Middle East & Africa will generate around USD 120 million by 2027 as governments of many countries are now promoting effective and better farming methods. Use of adjuvants for enhancing the properties of pesticides is one of them. Pulses are the main crops that are grown in this region. The region is warmer comparative to others across the globe. So, the pesticide evaporates from the desired plant. Utility adjuvants are used in the region as it helps in the better application of products on the desired plant.
 

Adoption of product portfolio expansion by various industry players

The agricultural adjuvants market is highly fragmented due to the presence of various adjuvant producers globally. As agricultural adjuvants increase the efficacy of agrochemicals, they help in improving and increasing the agricultural output. Various industry players are involved in the research & development activities to further increase their product portfolio along with the development of bio-based products.
 

Various industry players associated with the agricultural adjuvants industry are Clariant AG, Alzchem LLC, Dow Dupont Inc., Wilbur-Elis Company Inc., Brandt Consolidated, Inc. Loveland Products Inc., BASF SE, Akzo Nobel, Huntsman Corporation, Brenntag North America, Inc., Momentive Performance Materials Inc., etc.
 

The agricultural adjuvants market report includes in-depth coverage of the industry with estimates & forecast in terms of volume in kilo tons & revenue in USD million from 2017 to 2027 for the following segments:

By Product

• Activator
  • Surfactant
  • Oil-based adjuvants
• Utility
  • Compatibility agents
  • Buffers/Acidifiers
  • Antifoam agents
  • Drift control agents
  • Water conditioners
  • Others

By Chemical Group

• Alkoxylates
• Sulfonates
• Organosilicon
• Others

By Crop Type

• Cereals & grains
  • Corn
  • Wheat
  • Rice
  • Others
• Oilseeds & pulses
  • Soybean
  • Others
• Fruit & vegetables
• Others

By Application

• Herbicides
• Insecticides
• Fungicides
• Others

The above information is provided on a regional and country basis for the following:

By Region

• North America
  • U.S.
  • Canada 
• Europe
  • Germany
  • UK
  • France
  • Italy
  • Spain
  • Russia
• Asia Pacific
  • China
  • India
  • Japan
  • Australia
  • Indonesia
  • Malaysia
  • South Korea
• Latin America
  • Brazil
  • Mexico
  • Argentina
• Middle East & Africa
  • South Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE