Egypt Agrochemicals Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

Egypt Agrochemicals Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The Egypt Agrochemicals Market size is expected to grow from USD 91.71 million in 2023 to USD 117.38 million by 2028, at a CAGR of 5.06% during the forecast period (2023-2028).

Key Highlights

• Agriculture is a significant component of the Egyptian economy, contributing 11.3 percent of the country's gross domestic product. The agricultural sector accounts for 28 percent of all jobs, and over 55 percent of employment in Upper Egypt is agriculture-related in the year 2022. Egypt's agriculture sector is dominated by small farms using traditional practices that do not meet international standards.
• The availability of land for agriculture is highly constricted in Egypt. Thus, the need to improve efficiency through agrochemicals has been driving the agrochemical demand in the country. Furthermore, with the economic improvement in some African countries, farmers have become more aware of the need for agrochemicals application on the cropland. Integrated farming practices, if adopted, may further provide an opportunity for the sector. The high cost of agrochemicals is not always affordable for poor African farmers. Additionally, there is a need to strengthen the government's involvement in popularizing agrochemical consumption for better productivity of agricultural lands.
• As per the Egyptian Agricultural Department, The exports of Egypt's fertilizer and production sector will continue to increase between now and 2025, despite recent hikes in export fees, owing to a massive number of ongoing and planned projects expected to increase production capacity, especially for nitrogen fertilizer. For instance, in 2022, a Dutch fertilizer plant developer, Stamicarbon, signed a contract with Abu Qir Fertilizers in April to revamp one of their urea melt plants, expected to be operational in 2025.
• Government agencies and agricultural associations in the country are coming up with numerous projects and initiatives to strengthen farm productivity and food security among the population. For instance, in 2019, the Integrated Sustainable Agriculture Initiative (ISAI) responded to Egypt's pressing need for ecosystem restoration and enhancing sustainable food production. This joint venture between Foresight for Development and Innovation (Egypt), Except Integrated Sustainability (Netherlands), and in close cooperation with the Egyptian government, is to realize the restoration and regeneration of over 42,000 hectares of agricultural land and ensure sustainability and food security for Egypt.
• According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Land Reclamation, in December 2022, the implementation of innovative practices & technologies piloted, tested, or scaled up by producers to sustainably increase crop productivity, address climate change and environmental degradation; and policies, strategies, and investment programs formulated in support to sustainable agriculture in the Khagra Oasis Agro-Ecosystems in the Egyptian Western Dessert.

Egypt Agrochemicals Market Trends

Decreasing Per Capita Arable Land and Need for Increased Crop Productivity

Egypt's grain productivity is Egypt'srelatively low compared to neighboring African economies. The significant factors behind the low agricultural productivity in Egypt are higher pest infestation, inadequate infrastructure, limited supply of agricultural inputs, and lack of high-yielding varieties and cultivars. Modern agrochemical inputs, like fertilizers and pesticides, potentially help farmers boost productivity significantly, particularly in regions like Egypt, where current input uptake has historically been limited, with low crop yields. Thus, the demand for agrochemicals is anticipated to increase during the forecast period.

According to the FAO, the area per capita of cropland in 2019 accounted for 0.0391 ha/cap and was decreased by 0.0388 ha/cap in the next year, which will subsequently reduce the arable land for crops in the coming years. The region's population is proliferating, thus increasing food demand. Supplying food to this growing population has become a threat. On the other hand, arable land is declining due to industrialization and urbanization. Fertilizers have been used for a long time to increase the productivity of crops.​ Fair and balanced use of agrochemicals will help feed the growing population from the available cultivable land, thereby boosting the demand for agrochemicals, such as fertilizers and pesticides, in Egypt in the future times.

Increasing Demand for Pesticides

Pesticides are the major agrochemicals used for plant protection purposes. However, the country is highly import-dependent, as 75% of the pesticide demand is fulfilled by imports. Egypt imports pesticides from 27 countries. According to ITC Trademap, in the year 2021, the total imported quantities of pesticides accounted for USD 99,416 thousand, which the major exporters are China accounted for around 28.6% of total imports, followed by Germany accounted for 11.2%, Spain accounted for 7.84%, and France accounted for 5.91%. ​

In May 2021, The Egyptian Environment Ministry had an agreement with the global company Geocycle Lafarge to safely dispose 200 tons of hazardous pesticides in this year to promote sustainable farming practices by biopesticides ranges. These hazardous pesticides are assembled from various regions across Egypt including Cairo, Alexandria, Upper Egypt and the Delta. The total number of pesticides registered with generic names in Egypt is 273 pesticides, while the number of commercial products is 1,586 in the year 2019. Biopesticides are not quite popular in Egypt, except for Bacillus thuringiensis, which is registered at the Ministry of Agriculture in Egypt. Thus, such factors are likely to stimulate the growth of pesticides during the forecast period.

Egypt Agrochemicals Industry Overview

The Egyptian agrochemicals industry is fragmented and dominated by several foreign players. The major players in the market include Bayer Crop Science, BASF SE, Corteva Agriscience, OCP, and Abu Qir Fertilizers and Chemicals Industries hold a significant share in the market, followed by other players. The companies are continually investing in their R&D and expansion of production to introduce new products in the market to fulfill the crop requirements in the country.

Additional Benefits:

• The market estimate (ME) sheet in Excel format
• 3 months of analyst support