Survey of Metolachlor in China 2021

Survey of Metolachlor in China 2021

Metolachlor is a selective herbicide with broad weeding spectrum, high effectiveness and wide application fields. According to statistics from the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs of the People's Republic of China (ICAMA), as of March 2022, a total of 169 valid registrations of metolachlor have been licensed in China, including 18 for technical, 75 for single formulations and 76 for mixed formulations.

The capacity of metolachlor technical in China increased from 23,300 t/a in 2016 to 37,000 t/a in 2018, yet dipped to 29,800 t/a during 2019–2020 and rose to 30,800 t/a in 2021. The output peaked in 2017, but kept below 10,000 tonnes during 2019–2021.

Metolachlor products made in China are export-oriented. Export volume of metolachlor (calculated by 97% technical) in China increased to about 27,225 tonnes in 2017. After a plummet in 2019, it increased to about 12,543 tonnes in 2020. Though large increase was witnessed in 2020, the export volume was still at a low level compared with that in 2017 and 2018.

Regarding metolachlor price in China, prices of both metolachlor technical and metolachlor formulations were on a general increase in 2016–2018. However, in 2019, the annual ex-works price of 97% metolachlor technical decreased to USD3,418/t and dipped further to USD3,309/t in 2020, which was the bottom in the past six years. The annual price rocketed to about USD5,000/>t in 2021, and the market saw volatile monthly prices.

In China, metolachlor technical is applied on crops through single formulations of 720g/L EC and 960g/L EC and mixtures of the product with bensulfuron-methyl, atrazine and mefenacet. And metolachlor is mainly applied on corn, vegetables, soybean and some other cash crops in China. In 2021, the consumption volume of metolachlor technical in China edged higher to 3,521 tonnes, up by 0.57% year on year. The consumption of metolachlor technical in corn and vegetables accounted for more than 60% of the total consumption in China.

With increasing demand and some barriers to a jump in metolachlor supply in China, it is predicted that the output of metolachlor technical in China will increase in the next four years and then decrease in 2026. It's unlikely to see too much increase in both supply and demand in China during 2022–2026.