Summary: China's biopesticides market is developing fast over the recent years, in terms of market size, number of business and pesticide registration, on track to expand further, at a CAGR of 17.10% from 2022 to 2027.

The global biopesticides industry has been expanding fast over the past few years, expected to grow from USD9.50 billion in 2022 to USD16.75 billion in 2027, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12%, based on the China Biopesticides Industry Report published by China Association of Pesticide Development and Application. As the use of chemical pesticides continues to be restrained, biopesticides will play a great role in the overall pesticide market.

17% CAGR from 2022 to 2027

In China, biopesticides represents about 10% of the pesticide market currently and grow at a rate way faster than that of chemical pesticides, benefiting from a favorable environmental development trend. In 2022, the market size of biopesticides in the country reached USD2.17 billion (RMB15.03 billion). The scale is forecasted to expand to USD4.61 billion (RMB33.09 billion) by 2027, with a CAGR of 17.10%.

The chairman of the China Crop Protection Industry Association (CCPIA) pointed out that in 2023, revenue of pesticide enterprises above designated size dwindled by 17% year-on-year, and the total profit shrank by 62.20%. In the two major segments, biochemical pesticides and micropesticides showed similar declines in the year:

• Biochemical pesticides: sales down 16.60% and profit down 61.60%
• Micropesticides: sales down 20.20% and profit down 68.60%

Regarding imports and exports in 2023, the total trade volume dropped by 24.90%, and the trade surplus was down by 30% year on year. Though the export volume increased over the previous year, the export value was down by 27%.

 

Despite a temporary decline in sales and import volumes of biopesticides in 2023, the long-term outlook for the industry remains optimistic, considering the environmental advantages of biopesticides and the sustained growth in market demand. Short-term declines may stem from various factors such as cyclical market fluctuations and industry adjustments.

 

154 Enterprises above designated size

As per data from the National Bureau of Statistics, China has 154 enterprises above designated size (processors with turnovers above RMB20 million) in the biochemical pesticides and micropesticides manufacturing industry, with a total output valued about USD5.86 billion (RMB41.60 billion) and sales revenue of USD5.47 billion (RMB38.80 billion) in 2022, indicating the huge scale and strength of the biopesticides industry.

 

90% of New registration being biopesticides

In 2023 new registration of pesticides, 90% are biopesticides which are independent developments or co-developments of domestic enterprises in China. By the end of 2023, there are 2,000+ validly registered biopesticide products summing up to 152 active ingredients, accounting for 4.38% of the total registered pesticide products and 20.60% of the total registered active ingredients, respectively (these calculations exclude the registered number of the export-only). The 2015–2023 CAGR for biopesticide products and the active ingredients for biopesticides are 7.55% and 7.07%, respectively.