Crop Protection China Monthly Report

Fungicides experienced three milestones in the international market. Firstly, benzimidazole fungicides marked that fungicides begin to enter into an era of selective fungicides. Secondly, the appearance of triazole fungicides greatly improved fungicide activity. And thirdly, when the first kind of strobilurin fungicides was commercialized in 1997, a new fungicide era was kicked off and strobilurin fungicides have developed rapidly in the global market ever since.

Triazole fungicides and benzimidazole fungicides capture a large proportion in China's fungicides market, while the development of strobilurin fungicides industry is still in the immature stage. Most of strobilurin fungicides are still in the patent period, which causes a rather high production cost for China's producers and also restricts the development of strobilurin fungicides industry in China. Since patents are going to expire, the strength of strobilurin fungicides gradually come out. For instance, azoxystrobin, with the patent protection, its market value kept ranking in the first place from 2003 to 2011 in the global market and increased rapidly in China when its patent expired in 2010. Other strobilurin fungicides also show their developing potential in China such as pyraclostrobin and trifloxystrobin.

Moreover, mancozeb and carbendazim were the two largest competitors in China's fungicides market from 2009 to 2013. During this time, they competed violently. Starting in 2012, the market value of carbendazim has passed over mancozeb's and ranked in the first place in China's fungicides market.