World and U.S. Agrochemical Market in 1998
July 23, 1999
Data recently released by consultants, industry associations and the
U.S. Department of Agriculture provide new information on
agrochemical sales worldwide and use of pesticides on U.S. field
crops.
Several sources estimated the world agrochemical market at
approximately US$31 billion in 1998. This represents less than
0.2% growth over 1997 sales, after figuring in currency and
inflation factors. Sales of genetically engineered seed, however,
increased by 145% over 1997 figures to US$1.6 billion.
According to the American Crop Protection Association, U.S.
agrochemical sales by member corporations grew by 1.1% to almost
US$9 billion in 1998. Agricultural pesticide use accounted for
approximately 82% of sales. Exports remained the same as in 1997
at about US$2.9 billion; however, volume of exports rose by 8.7%
to over 700 million pounds.
Herbicides accounted for 68% of total U.S. pesticide sales at
approximately US$6 billion. Sales of herbicides for agricultural use
fell by 1.8% to US$5.2 billion, while non-crop herbicide sales rose
by almost 19%.
Almost 53% of all U.S. agricultural agrochemical sales were for
pesticides used on maize and soybeans. Sales of soil-applied maize
insecticides increased by 27% in 1998 to US$255 million. Cotton is
still the third largest market, but sales were down by 11% from
1997 figures to US$732 million. Rice showed the greatest increase
in pesticide sales in 1998, with the market increasing by 28% to
US$191 million.
In the U.S. last year, Monsanto's Roundup (glyphosate) replaced
Cyanamid's imazethapyr as the most widely used herbicide on
soybeans, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's
National Agriculture Statistics Service. The volume of glyphosate
used almost doubled to 28.1 million pounds as a result of increased
plantings of Roundup Ready soybeans (soybeans genetically
engineered to be resistant to glyphosate).
In the 16 states surveyed, herbicides were applied to 95% of the
65.7 million acres of soybeans that were planted, representing 91%
of total U.S. soybean acreage. Glyphosate was applied to 46% of
the surveyed acreage at an average rate of 0.7 pounds per acre. In
contrast, only 28% of the surveyed acreage was sprayed with
glyphosate in 1997.
Herbicides were applied to 96% of the maize planted in the 16 states
surveyed. Maize grown in those states represented 89% of total
U.S. maize. Atrazine was applied to 69% of the maize and remains
the most widely used herbicide on the crop. Insecticides including
chlorpyrifos and terbufos were applied to 30% of the maize crop
surveyed in 1998.
Ten states were surveyed for upland cotton in 1998, representing
92% of the total acreage. Trifluralin was the most widely used
herbicide and was applied to 57% of the area surveyed -- followed
by fluometuron (32%) and glyphosate (30%). Insecticides were
applied to 71% of upland cotton, with aldicarb being the most
widely used.
The USDA's Agricultural Chemical Usage 1998 Field Crops
Summary can be accessed from the National Agriculture Statistics
Service web site at http://usda.mannlib.cornell.edu:80/usda/
Source: Agrow: World Crop Protection News, June 11, 1999.
Contact: PANNA.
===========================================
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Phone: (415) 981-1771
Fax: (415) 981-1991
Email: panna@panna.org
Web: www.panna.org
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