DowDuPont (US) and Solvay (Belgium) are the Key Players in the Agricultural Surfactants Market

The agricultural surfactants market is projected to reach USD 1.88 Billion by 2022, growing at a CAGR of 6.46% from 2017. The growth of the agricultural surfactants market is driven by factors such as the growing demand for agrochemicals and the adoption of precision farming & protected agriculture.

Key players in the agricultural surfactants market include DowDuPont (US), BASF (Germany), AkzoNobel (Netherlands), Evonik (Germany), and Solvay (Belgium). Huntsman Corporation (US), Nufarm (Australia), Clariant (Switzerland), Helena Chemical Company (US), Croda International (UK), Stepan Company (US), and Wilbur-Ellis Company (US) are a few other key market players who also hold a significant share of the agricultural surfactants market.

DowDuPont produces and sells a wide range of products through its business units that include agriculture, materials science, and specialty products, globally. The company operates through eight segments-agriculture, performance materials & coatings, industrial intermediate & infrastructure, packaging & specialty plastics, electronics & imaging, nutrition & biosciences, transportation & advanced polymers, and safety & construction. The agriculture segment has a diverse worldwide network that markets and distributes the companys brands to customers, globally.

Increase in demand for green solutions

The global surfactants market is primarily dominated by chemical surfactants derived from oleochemical or petrochemical sources. However, due to the rising concerns for the safety of the environment as well as human health, the governments and surfactant manufacturers are majorly focusing on shifting to renewable and sustainable products in almost every application. This has led to high demand for biologically derived products that pose a negligible threat to the environment as compared to the conventional petroleum-derived products that are toxic in nature and bio-accumulate in the marine environment. Biosurfactants are microbial surfactants having superior functionality when compared to chemically synthesized agents. These types of surfactants are considered eco-friendly raw materials due to their high level of safety and biodegradability. The rising awareness among consumers for the use of renewable and natural ingredients in their day-to-day products is boosting the demand for biosurfactants and the development of greener solutions for various applications such as cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, industrial cleaning, and biochemicals. The manufacturers are, therefore, keen to adapt to this changing trend of utilizing green solutions in their products.

Use of genetically modified seeds

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a bacterium that contains an endotoxic insecticidal gene, which is induced by genetic engineering in crops such as corn, tomatoes, rapeseeds, rice, and soybean. These genetically modified crops have the ability to develop their own Bt toxins that act as pesticides. Genetically modified crops have reduced the dependency of farmers on the usage of pesticides for pest management.

According to a research paper published in Agricultural & Applied Economics Association and Western Agricultural Economics Association, 8 million farmers cultivated more than 181 million hectares of GM crops across 28 countries in 2016. The leading developing countries engaged in GM crop production are India, China, Brazil, Argentina, and South Africa. These examples of biotechnological revolution severely affect the global crop protection chemicals market, which in turn will affect the agricultural surfactants market. According to International Service for Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), in 2013, GM crops were cultivated in 175.2 million hectares across the world.

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Solvay is a chemical and advanced materials company and is involved in delivering innovative sustainable products and solutions. The company offers its products & services to diversified markets through segments such as agro, feed & food; automotive & aerospace; building & construction; consumer goods & healthcare; electrical & electronics; resources & environment; and industrial applications. It offers surfactants through its agro, feed & food segment. The company has offices across 58 countries at 139 locations, along with 21 major research and innovation centers across North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and South America; this enables it to have a global market presence. In July 2015, Solvay opened an alkoxylation plant in Singapore, the largest in Asia. This expansion helped to cater to the growing demand for specialty surfactants in this region

AkzoNobel is a major producer and distributor of specialty chemicals, paints, and coatings. The company operates its business through three segments-decorative paints, performance coatings, and specialty chemicals. The company offers surfactants through its specialty chemicals segment for oil & gas, metals & mining, pharmaceutical, and agrochemical industries. AkzoNobel has a major presence in North America, Europe, South America, and the Asia Pacific. It has subsidiaries in more than 80 countries and supplies its products to a large number of business partners. In May 2017, AkzoNobel opened a new monochloroacetic acid (MCA) plant in Gujarat, India. This new plant would have the capacity of 35.27 KT/year (32,000 tonnes/year). The demand for MCA is growing in Asian countries, and it finds applications in agrochemicals, adhesives, pharmaceuticals, thermo-stabilizers, surfactants, and cosmetics.

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