In 2023, Brazil was the largest pesticide-consuming country worldwide, at some 800.65 thousand metric tons. The United States trailed in second, with 429.5 thousand tons consumed. Worldwide, pesticide consumption stood at 3.73 million metric tons in that year.
Pesticide industry segments
Pesticides are substances used in agriculture to control the appearance of pests or regulate plant growth. The term includes several product types such as herbicides, fungicides, bactericides, insecticides, plant growth regulators, and rodenticides. Herbicides are widely used to remove plants such as weeds or grass and are by far the most used class of pesticide worldwide. In 2021, global consumption of herbicides reached 1.7 million metric tons, whereas consumption of other pesticide types stood below one million.
Leading agrochemical firms
Syngenta and Bayer CropScience were the two leading agrochemical companies based on pesticide sales in 2021. Syngenta reported over 13.3 billion U.S. dollars of pesticide sales in that year, while Bayer CropScience’s pesticide revenue stood at almost 11.4 billion U.S. dollars. Bayer CropScience was formed in 2002 after the pharmaceutical giant Bayer acquired Aventis CropScience. The company’s revenue doubled in 2018 after the acquisition of Monsanto. In 2021, Bayer CropScience’s total revenue, including pesticides and seeds, reached 20.2 billion euros. Other leading companies in the pesticide sector include BASF, Corteva, UPL, FMC, and Adama.