Insecticides: Production
How China and India split the world's generic insecticides
How China and India split the world's generic insecticides What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | not published | no public total | |
| World output | about 0.6-0.8 Mt a.i. used a year (indicative) | FAOSTAT (indicative) | |
| Capacity utilisation | not published | Chinese generic diamide and neonicotinoid capacity expanded after patent expiries; Indian makers ran below capacity in FY2024-FY2026 during destocking (indicative). | indicative; PI Industries FY2026 results |
| Concentration | China probably about half of technical output (indicative); top four crop protection companies about $42 billion of 2024 sales across all classes | Syngenta (thiamethoxam, lambda-cyhalothrin), Bayer (imidacloprid, Vayego), BASF (fipronil, Inscalis), Corteva (spinosad, Isoclast) and FMC (Rynaxypyr, Cyazypyr) lead innovation; Sumitomo leads household pyrethroids. | AgroPages via AgriMarketing (Mar 2025); indicative |
| New capacity | not published | New modes of action are few: broflanilide (BASF/Mitsui), isocycloseram (Syngenta, Plinazolin), and new diamides. Indian companies are adding diamide and pyrethroid capacity for generics (indicative). | indicative |
Top producing countries
China 50% · most generic pyrethroid, neonicotinoid and diamide technicals (indicative) India 15% · UPL, Gharda, Heranba, Bharat Rasayan, PI Industries and others; India's domestic market is insecticide-led (indicative) United States 8% · FMC (sourced largely from contract makers), Corteva (spinosyns), Bayer (indicative) European Union 8% · Bayer, BASF, Syngenta plants (indicative) Japan 7% · Sumitomo Chemical (pyrethroids), Nihon Nohyaku, Mitsui (indicative) Others 12% · Brazil, Israel (ADAMA), Korea indicativeLargest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Syngenta Group thiamethoxam, lambda-cyhalothrin, diamide mixtures | China/Switzerland | 13.6 $ billion crop protection sales (all classes) | 2024 | AgroPages via AgriMarketing (Mar 2025) |
| Bayer Crop Science imidacloprid inventor | Germany | 12 $ billion crop protection sales | 2024 | AgroPages via AgriMarketing (Mar 2025) |
| BASF Agricultural Solutions fipronil, broflanilide | Germany | 9 $ billion crop protection sales | 2024 | AgroPages via AgriMarketing (Mar 2025) |
| Corteva Agriscience spinosyns (fermentation), sulfoxaflor | US | 7.3 $ billion crop protection sales | 2024 | AgroPages via AgriMarketing (Mar 2025) |
| FMC Corporation down 18% from $4.25 billion in 2024; India commercial business held for sale; board exploring strategic options including a sale of the company; diamides (Rynaxypyr, Cyazypyr) are its largest franchise | US | 3.47 $ billion total revenue | 2025 | FMC Q4 and full-year 2025 results (4 Feb 2026) |
| Sumitomo Chemical pyrethroids for crops and household use | Japan | not published | 2025 | HNY Research company list (2026) |
| Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical large Chinese pyrethroid maker, part of Sinochem (indicative) | China | not published | 2025 | indicative |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PI Industries custom synthesis exports Rs 5,412 crore, down about 18%; EBITDA margin 25% | India | 6,714 Rs crore revenue (all segments) | FY2026 | PI Industries results presentation (May 2026) |
| UPL acephate and other insecticides; group revenue about Rs 46,637 crore FY2025 (indicative) | India | not published | FY2025 | UPL annual report (indicative) |
| Dhanuka Agritech insecticide-heavy domestic formulator with Japanese partners (indicative) | India | not published | FY2026 | Rubix via Global Agriculture (2025) |
| Bharat Rasayan insecticide and herbicide technicals for domestic and export customers (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | company |
| Heranba Industries pyrethroid technicals such as cypermethrin (indicative) | India | not published | 2025 | company (indicative) |
Insecticides are the largest part of India's domestic crop protection use, driven by rice, cotton and vegetables (indicative). India makes most generic insecticide technicals but imports intermediates and many technicals from China (indicative).
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | EPA revoked chlorpyrifos food tolerances in 2021 (partly restored after a 2023 court ruling, indicative); neonicotinoid reviews continue. |
| EU | Three neonicotinoids banned outdoors in 2018; chlorpyrifos not renewed in 2020; emergency authorisations are contested. |
| India | Largest class in the domestic market; spurious and illegal pesticides are a known problem; pink bollworm resistance in Bt cotton raises spray counts (indicative). |
| China | Main generic supplier; imposed export controls on some chemicals but not on major insecticides (indicative). |
| Japan | Home of several pyrethroid and diamide innovators (Sumitomo, Nihon Nohyaku, Ishihara). |
| Middle East | ADAMA in Israel is a large generic maker; little production in the Gulf. |