At the Chemicals America conference last week in Wilmington, NC, Craig Hirschey (Senior Account Executive, Zepol) and Don Hennenfent (Consultant, at Sentinel Imports) used Zepol's trade intelligence data to present on U.S. import trends of agrochemicals.

What are Agrochemicals and Who Cares?

To start, agrochemicals, or chemicals used for agricultural purposes, are big business in the United States. They are used in an array of products including pesticides, fungicides, fertilizers and more, and greatly assist in the United States’ mass production of crops.

Because these chemicals are used to treat such a broad industry like food, the import trends of agrochemicals, including import volume and price per kilogram, are very relevant and impactful. Agrochemical imports can have a trickle-down effect on multiple types of business, even down to your local grocer.

What Kinds of Agrochemicals?

Craig and Don pulled 46 HS Codes from TradeView™ data which included the following words: Pesticide, Herbicide, Insecticide or Fungicide. This does not include ALL agrochemicals, but all codes included are most likely to be solely agricultural chemicals.

Interesting Findings

• Since 2007, the price per kilogram of agrochemicals has gone up from $10.18 to $12.41, or 22%.
• Europe consistently exports a higher dollar value of agrochemicals than Asia.
• Asian imports are consistently of higher volume yet lower value than European.
• Imports from Non-European/Asian countries are consistently of lower volume and value.
• The first half of 2012 appears to indicate that the full year of imports will increase to $2.98 billion.
• The projected price per kilogram in the first six months of 2012 has averaged $14.00.

Conclusions from the Data

The majority of agrochemicals come from Asia and Europe, and more specifically from the countries of Germany, Switzerland, and China. The quantity of U.S. imports and the value have been increasing in the past five years, yet the volume in imports for 2012 may be declining. As the volume declines, the cost per kilogram is rising, especially from Europe.     

Users of Zepol’s tools range from Fortune 500 giants to the smallest “ma and pa” shops, spanning from transportation companies to consumer products. One industry in particular that has found our tools invaluable is the chemical industry. In order to stay ahead in today’s market, chemical companies need to identify and evaluate the most cost-effective suppliers overseas. In addition, by monitoring competitive movements, companies are able to proactively prepare for changes in their markets. Don’t take our word for it; see what one of our clients had to say:

Zepol has created a report on the U.S. inorganic chemical industry, detailing recent trends and shedding light upon future developments. The report provides an overall summary of the industry as well as detailed information on specific products, U.S. ports, countries of origin, and more.

3 Key Insights Found in the Report:

1. U.S. imports of inorganic chemicals reached $4.8 billion in Q3 of 2011, the highest value seen in three years
2. Inorganic chemical imports from Canada, the number one country of origin, increased 50% from 2010 to 2011
3. The price per kilogram of rare-earth metals from China increased over 600% in just one year
   

To download the report, please click this link.

Zepol is pleased to provide this information to the public. Please let us know if you have any questions about the contents of our report by filling out our Contact Me form.

Zepol has created a report on U.S. chemical imports from June 2009 - May 2010. The report provides import information for each 10 digit HTS code for all of the related products under HTS code 2918 (carboxylic acids) and sheds light on key consignees, countries, and ports as they relate to U.S. carboxylic acid imports.

3 Key Insights Found in the Report:

1. U.S. lactic acid imports value over June 2009 – May 2010 dropped 37.8% from the previous 12 month period
   
2. With $241,695,049 imported between June 2009 and May 2010, the Port of New York, NY received the most carboxylic acid import shipments for the period
3. China is the top exporter of carboxylic acids, with $105,901,873 exported between June 2009 and May 2010
   

To download the report, please click this link.

Zepol is pleased to provide this information to the public. Please let us know if you have any questions about the contents of our report by filling out our Contact Me form.