The threshold for pesticide registration has been significantly raised, sharply increasing the difficulty of obtaining approval for new products.

Release Date:

2019-06-21

In recent years, numerous high‑profile pesticide patents have expired, turning these products into hotly contested targets within the industry. For example, azoxystrobin, developed by Zeneca (now Syngenta), was launched in 1997 and surpassed US$1 billion in sales by 2010. It has held the title of the world’s top-selling fungicide for more than a decade, delivering substantial economic returns to Syngenta. In 2011, as the compound patent for azoxystrobin expired in China, countless companies began registering and producing the product. Consequently, its market price plummeted from approximately RMB 1.2 million per ton in 2010 to around RMB 200,000 per ton by 2013—a decline of nearly 85% in just three years.

　　In recent years, many heavyweight… Pesticide With its patent expired, the product has become a hotly contested target in the industry. For example, azoxystrobin, developed by Zeneca (now Syngenta), was launched in 1997 and surpassed US$1 billion in sales by 2010, holding the title of the world’s top-selling fungicide for more than a decade and generating substantial economic returns for Syngenta. In 2011, as the compound patent for azoxystrobin expired in China, countless companies registered and began producing it. The market price plummeted from RMB 1.2 million per ton in 2010 to around RMB 200,000 per ton by 2013—a drop of nearly RMB 1 million within just three years. Due to unchecked capacity expansion, a product once brimming with market potential quickly turned into a low‑value‑added commodity in the Chinese market. Today, among the more than 70 companies registered to produce the active ingredient, only a handful are actually engaged in regular production. As for formulated products, no blockbuster items have emerged; Syngenta’s Amistar and Amistar Top remain far ahead of the competition. A similar fate has befallen pyraclostrobin: its active‑ingredient price fell by over 40% in just two years, leaving few manufacturers profitable.

　　With the promulgation and implementation of Announcement No. 2569 of the Ministry of Agriculture, Pesticide The threshold for registration has been significantly raised, making successful registration… Pesticide The difficulty of the product has increased sharply, while… Pesticide The cost of registration has also increased significantly. For domestic… Pesticide For businesses, registration entails substantial time, exponentially increasing costs, and significant effort, leading to a more cautious approach to the process.

　　Prothioconazole has become a product that companies select with the utmost care. In the decade following its launch—except for 2010—it has experienced virtually uninterrupted growth, reaching an all-time peak in 2014 with global sales of US$855 million. This compound is among the most sought-after candidates for registration in China. Other such products include chlorantraniliprole, benzobicyclon, fluxapyroxad, cyhalofop‑butyl, and pyroxsulam, among others. However, drawing on past experience, China still lacks sufficiently mature expertise on how to maximize the market value of a blockbuster product. Bridging this significant gap—registering one product successfully and reaping maximum benefits—will be a core challenge that companies must address thoughtfully over the coming years.

Source: China Pesticide Industry Association Author: China Pesticide Industry Association Editor: xwbj3

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Hebei: Adjusting the Filing Authority for Chemical Construction Projects

The pesticide industry has thrived over the past seventy years, striving in the new era—A review of the development of China’s pesticide industry over the 70 years since the founding of the People’s Republic of China (continued).

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