Agricultural Fumigants Market Dynamics & Global Forecast to 2026

Posted by Sonal Phulambrikar on June 9th, 2021

The Agricultural Fumigants Market is projected to grow from USD 2.2 billion in 2021 to USD 2.7 billion by 2026, at a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period. The increase in agricultural productivity has led to an increase in the adoption of advanced storage technology to protect crops against pests, as well as to maintain the quality of the crops. Thus, fumigation technology helps in preventing post-harvest losses and helps in obtaining the standard quality. In addition, fumigation helps in the thorough cleaning of storage areas, silos, or warehouses.  

Download PDF Brochure

Drivers: Increase in focus on the reduction of post-harvest losses

Reduction of post-harvest food losses is a critical component for ensuring food security. Post-harvest losses arise from freshly harvested agricultural produce undergoing changes during handling. Post-harvest losses can be avoided by undertaking fumigation for pest prevention. For example, the decay of citrus post-harvest is controlled by ammonia gas fumigation. Post-harvest green mold and blue mold, caused by Penicillium digitatum and Penicillium italicum, respectively, are effectively controlled by ammonia gas fumigation of lemons and oranges. Thus, fumigation technology helps in preventing post-harvest losses to maintain the quality of agricultural commodities. In addition, fumigation helps in the thorough cleaning of storage areas, silos, or warehouses. This is employed as a further preventative method in pre-harvest cleaning for the storage of grains.

Restraints: Accumulation of residue during fumigation

The amount of residue that remains in the materials treated with fumigants is determined by the conditions existing during fumigation and by the treatment of the material thereon. In some cases, residue levels may be held to a minimum if various factors that lead to residue accumulation are considered before the treatment. Fumigants with high boiling points remain present as residues for a longer time than the more volatile compounds. For example, acrylonitrile was found to remain in wheat for several days, whereas methyl bromide dissipates in a few hours. Fumigants that react with plant or animal constituents may also leave a considerable residue.  

Opportunities: New product launches as alternatives for methyl bromide fumigation

Increasing tolerance of pests toward methyl bromide fumigation, followed by its phasing out, has resulted in the adoption of suitable alternatives for methyl bromide for the management of stored products and to quarantine pests. The alternatives for methyl bromide fumigant include phosphine, sulfuryl fluoride, carbonyl sulfide, ethyl formate, hydrogen cyanide, carbon disulfide, methyl iodide, and methyl isothiocyanate. Hence, manufacturers are focusing on new product developments by investing in R&D activities for active ingredients that can inhibit resistant insects by using these alternative fumigants.

Challenges: Increasing labor costs and other expenses

Soil fumigation with volatile chemical content is regulated by various governing bodies. It is necessary to find the appropriate fumigant for the varied application base. Further, high labor costs are involved in applying these fumigants with handheld or manual injectors. The main costs associated with fumigation are the costs required for equipment and labor. Only pest control experts that are certified fumigators are permitted to provide fumigation treatment. Fumigation is a highly technical procedure that requires skilled operators using special materials and gas measurement devices.

Make an Inquiry

Key players in this market include BASF SE (Germany), Syngenta (Switzerland), ADAMA (Israel), ARKEMA (Germany), Nufarm (Australia), Solvay (Belgium), Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. (Belgium), SGS SA (Switzerland), UPL (India), AMVAC (US), Trinity Manufacturing, Inc. (Germany), Douglas products (US), Intertek (UK), Nippon Chemical Industrial Co., LTD. (Japan), and MustGrow Biologics, Inc (Canada).