Fertilizer Additives Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecasts (2023 - 2028)

The fertilizer additive market is projected to record a CAGR of 3.5% during the forecast period (2022-2027).

COVID-19 has a direct and negative impact on the value chain of the fertilizer additives market. The lockdown in different countries has affected the transportation systems adversely. This has led to the use of the emergency stock of raw materials by manufacturers for continuing production. Crop producers were affected by disruptions in local and international transport systems, which inhibited their access to intermediate inputs like fertilizers and affected the fertilizer additives demand.

The increasing food demand and food security are some of the major factors driving the growth of the fertilizer additive market. The rising demand for urea is another factor that is anticipated to drive the growth of the market. Also, technological innovations nowadays can act as an important factor augmenting the growth of the market studied.

North America and Asia-Pacific are the largest markets for fertilizer additives. Fertilizer additives are used to enhance the efficiency of various fertilizers. The changing market trend toward the Efficiency Enhanced Fertilizers (EEF) is expected to boost the use of fertilizer additives during the forecast period.

Key Market Trends

Rising Demand for Urea is Driving the Market

The rising demand for urea-based fertilizers around the world is one of the key factors that drive the growth of the market. For instance, according to International Fertilizers Associations (IFASTAT), total global urea consumption was 51,141.0 thousand metric ton in 2017, which increased to 52,258.9 thousand metric ton in 2019. Urea has the highest nitrogen content among all the solid fertilizers and is used widely as a major source of nitrogen for agricultural use. Also, the relative humidity of urea is high, which makes it withstand hot and humid conditions. Therefore, it is preferred to ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) and also has a rising demand in the market owing to its usage both in solid and liquid form. However, Urea nitrogen can be lost through volatilization, denitrification, and leaching. High N losses of 20-30% of the total N applied fertilizer are observed in humid regions like Brazil, sometimes even higher, reaching up to 60%. As the primary objective of fertilizer additives such as urease inhibitors is to reduce the potential volatilization losses of urea-based fertilizers, the demand for these urea fertilizer additives is increasing. This further accelerates the growth of the fertilizer additive market. Additionally, technological innovations are also augmenting the growth of the market studied. According to a study by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the use of ammonium thiosulphate as a urease inhibitor with the varying surface placement of urea and urea ammonium nitrate in the production of hard red spring wheat under reduced tillage management. TIB Thio ATS, by TIB Chemicals, is one of the popular ammonium thiosulphate inhibitors sold in the North American region.

Asia-Pacific and North America Dominate the Market

Asia-Pacific holds a share of more than half of the global fertilizer additives market. China and India are major consumers of this product owing to the vast agricultural zones in these countries. For instance, according to the World Bank data, in 2016, the fertilizers consumption rate was 165.9 kg per hectare of arable land in India, which increased steadily to 175.0 kg per hectare by 2018. Thus, the rising fertilizer consumption in the region is driving the growth of the market. Among the nitrogenous fertilizers, urea is the most commonly used fertilizer in India, which accounts for more than 80% of total N fertilizer consumption in the country. With the rising concern over N losses through ammonia volatilization and nitrate leaching, fertilizer additives provide an opportunity to reduce losses while enhancing the efficiency of fertilizers applied to the soil. Furthermore, the rising demand for agricultural products in countries like United States, Canada, and Mexico in the North American region is projected to boost the fertilizer additives market during the forecast period. United States is the world's fourth-largest producer of nitrogen fertilizers and the second-largest producer of phosphate. As per the State of the Fertilizer Industry Report published by The Fertilizer Institutes, in 2017, 21% of the nitrogen and phosphate fertilizer products in United States were found to be treated with an inhibitor, polymer, or other controlled release mechanism products for enhanced efficiency. Additionally, the major key players are actively involved in the research and development in order to enhance the quality of fertilizer additives. For instance, in 2019, West Central company launched a new broadcast fertilizer additive, Trivar, powered by Levesol chelating agent that can be added directly to a dry phosphate fertilizer and broadcasted on the field. The additive is designed to maximize phosphate fertilizer by increasing the availability of phosphorus and other key nutrients.

Competitive Landscape

The fertilizer additive market is highly fragmented, with various small- and medium-sized companies and a few big players, resulting in stiff competition in the market. Corteva Agriscience, BASF SE, ArrMaz, Koch Agronomic Services LLC, Novochem Group, and Dorf Ketal are some of the known players in the market. These major players are investing in new products and improvisation of products, expansions, and acquisitions for business expansions. Another major area of investment is the focus on R&D to launch new products at lower prices.

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