By March 2013,
the domestic metazachlor technical
capacity reached 3,200 t/a, with a 1,080 tonnes output in 2012. The domestic
metazachlor technical capacity is mainly concentrated in Jiangsu Province, with
its output accounting for around 41.7% of the domestic total in 2012. It's
observed that the operation rate of metazachlor technical in China stayed at a
low level in the past three years (2010-2012), hovering around 30%, according to Herbicide China News 1304, issued by CCM in April.
Metazachlor is a
chloroacetanilide herbicide developed by BASF, which
entered the market in 1979. It has been introduced in China in 2001. The same
year, Zhejiang Heben Pesticide & Chemicals Co., Ltd. (Zhejiang Heben)
started to develop a metazachlor business with a 200t/a technical production
line. After more than ten years of development,
there are now ten metazachlor technical manufacturers in China. However,
among the ten, Zhejiang Heben's production capacity is still 150t/a.
Currently, there
are nine active and one idle metazachlor technical manufacturers in China.
Jiangsu Lanfeng Biochemical Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu Lanfeng) and Shangyu Nutrichem
Co., Ltd. are the two leading metazachlor technical manufacturers in China,
both with a 600t/a capacity. Previously, Shandong Determination Pharmaceutical
Co., Ltd. (Shandong Determination) was the biggest metazachlor technical
manufacturer in China with a 700t/a capacity—but it suspended its production in
2012.
The metazachlor
is not used in the domestic market due to its high price and farmers' use
habits. All the metazachlor technical in China is exported to the overseas
market and the total export volume kept increasing in
China in recent years, reaching more than 1,000 tonnes in 2012, up 53.8%,
compared with 2008.
The Chinese
metazachlor is mainly exported to Europe and South America. European countries
prefer to use metazachlor and it's the best-selling herbicide because it is an
environmentally friendly herbicide, though with a high price. More than 70% of
the Chinese metazachlor is exported to Europe every year.
In Europe,
metazachlor is one of the most popular herbicides and it's mainly used on
rapeseed. The demand for environmentally friendly herbicides keeps increasing.
Taking the UK for example, there was a shortage of herbicides for oil crops in
2011: the planting area of rapeseed in UK was increasing; and the demand for
metazachlor exceeded the supply. Accordingly, that demand may stimulate China's
metazachlor export business.
By April 2 2013,
there were only four valid metazachlor registrations owned by
three companies, according to the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals,
Ministry of Agriculture(ICAMA). All the metazachlor registrations are
temporary, with a one-year-period of validity. It's noteworthy that in Dec.
2012, Shandong Determination's metazachlor formulation registration was
approved by ICAMA. Actually, in 2009, Jiangsu Lanfeng firstly registered
metazachlor in China, including a technical and formulation. Yet, during the
following year's valid period, Jiangsu Lanfeng failed to open metazachlor
markets in China.
Metazachlor, a
selective acetanilide herbicide, is used in pre-emergence and early
post-emergence to control annual grass (such as Alopecurus myosuroides, Apera
spica-venti, Avena fatua, Digitaria sanguinalis, Echinochloa crus-galli, Poa
annua and Setaria spp.)and broad-leaved weeds (such as Amaranthus, Anthemis,
Matricaria, Polygonum, Sinapis, Solanum, Stellaria, Urtica and Veronica spp.)
in fields of vegetables, fruits, sunflowers, tobacco.
China to
strengthen the registration management of metsulfuron-methyl,chlorsulfuron and
ethametsulfuron
Sanonda achieved
a USD16.7 million net profit in 2012
Jiangsu Changqing
to launch a 2,000t/a dicamba production in April
Nanjing Redsun to
increase the capital of its foreign trade subsidiary
Jiangsu Huifeng
to invest on a clethodim project
Metazachlor grows
steadily in China
Ex-factory price
of Haloxyfop-P-methyl TC soared in late March
Acetochlor's
price rose slightly in early April 2013
Four herbicide
patents will expire in China in 2014
Metolachlor TC's
export volume surpassed acetochlor TC's in 2012
Chinese
herbicides Imp. & Exp. analysis in 2012
Big pesticides
multinationals' registrations in China in 2012
Jiangsu Lanfeng
registered tebuthiuron in mid-March 2013
Hunan Province
increases its grain crop area in 2013
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