Fine metolachlor-the "golden partner" of field-resistant weed solutions
In tracking the registration and promotion of some products, AgroPages found several product clues, all of which pointed to a variety of mesochlor which has market development potential. among them:
? Fumeishi Spartan Elite herbicide (prepared metolachlor + mesotrione) has obtained a special local registration in Dakota, USA, for the control of conventional and ALS-resistant ground weeds in local dried bean fields;
? Syngenta introduced its new ternary compound corn herbicide Lumax (fine metolachlor + mesotrione + terbutin) to corn growers in Spain, further enriching and improving the company's pre-emergence herbicides product line;
? UPL (Joint Phosphating) registered in the United States to launch Moccasin's post-patent product Moccasin containing refined metolachlor, which is registered for soybean, cotton, peanut and corn and other series of crops.
Fine metolachlor has been on the market since 1997, and its US patent has expired in 2001. Why can such an old product continue to attract patented and non-patent companies to develop various types of compound preparations? What is the current production and market situation of this product in China? What are the future development prospects? AgroPages is trying to analyze the reader in the following.
History of the development of mesochlor
Fine metolachlor is a chloroacetamide selective herbicide discovered in 1982 by the former Ciba Gage Company (now Syngenta). In 1995, Syngenta obtained refined metolachlor (containing 80-S-isomer and 20-0% R-isomer) through a specific catalyst synthesis. In 1996, Syngenta’s 10,000-ton/year refined metolachlor production facility was completed, and the Synproda’s refined metolachlor S-body content could reach 96%. Since then, Syngenta has re-registered the active ingredient and changed its name to mesochlor, and the trade name is Dual Gold? (金都爾). In 1997, mesoprofen was marketed in the United States, and its compound patent expired on October 16, 2001.
Prometholachlor is the same as metolachlor and is a cell division inhibitor. It mainly inhibits the growth of cells by inhibiting the synthesis of long-chain fatty acids. In addition to the advantages of metolachlor, refined metolachlor is superior to metolachlor in safety and control effects. At the same time, according to the results of toxicological studies, its toxicity is better than that of metolachlor The amine is low, even only one-tenth of the latter's toxicity.
Fine metolachlor is suitable for a wide range of crops and is the main herbicide in corn and soybean fields, an important food crop in the world. Moreover, with the growing problem of resistant weeds, this variety has also become a "golden partner" for many multinational companies to develop field resistance solutions. In 2014, its global sales (including metolachlor) reached US$585 million.
Global registration and listing of refined metolachlor
Foreign registration and listing
In 1997, mesochlor was marketed in the United States. On August 1, 1997, Syngenta submitted the registration application of mesoprofen as a new active ingredient to the European Union. On October 8, 2004, mesoprofen was included in the EU Pesticide Registration Directive (91/414 ) Appendix 1, in 2005, 960 g/L refined metolachlor EC was launched in the EU. In 1998, mesoprofen was registered in Canada. At present, mesochlor has been registered in the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries and regions.
In order to expand the market and delay the development of resistance, mesoprofen is compounded with atrazine, mesotrione, terbutaline, chlorfenapyr, fomesafen, oxachlor, glyphosate, etc. Preparations have also been marketed.
The global market of refined metolachlor products is about 30,000 tons, mainly concentrated in the United States and Europe. At present, the US imports of refined metolachlor are estimated to be 15,000 to 20,000 tons per year. According to customs data, from April 2016 to April 2017, the United States imported a total of 20,985 tons of mesochlor. In addition, Brazil imports about 3,000 tons of crude drugs each year, Argentina has about 1,000 tons, the European market has about 7,000 tons, and other markets have about 2,000 tons.
In the main market of the United States, Syngenta has formed a monopoly on the market by virtue of its production capacity layout and the continuous introduction of patented multiple compound products. In September 2013, based on the judgment of rising global demand, Syngenta completed the expansion of the production capacity of mesochlor in Kaisten, Switzerland. In October 2016, the production capacity of the production plant was expanded again.
From the perspective of product development, refined metolachlor has always been a general in the development of Syngenta herbicide mixtures. In 2016, Syngenta launched the quaternary herbicide Acuron? and its series of products developed in the market in order to solve the problem of resistant weeds that has long troubled growers and provide more powerful pre-emergence residual herbicides. Acuron? contains atrazine, bicyclopyrone, mesotrione and mesochlor, and is one of the corn herbicides in the market. In 2016 alone, Acuron? went on sale for more than US$200 million a year after listing, with great success. In the financial report for the 2017 quarter, Syngenta disclosed that Acuron? and its earliest marketed dual methamphetamine Dual Gold? products continue to be popular.
China registration and market conditions
In 2005, Syngenta obtained the formal registration of mesoprofen and its preparation in China. The content of the original drug is 96%, and the preparation is 960 g/L EC. It is used in summer soybean fields, spring soybean fields, tobacco fields, Sesame field, watermelon field, sugar beet field, sunflower field, kidney bean field, potato field, garlic field, peanut field, summer corn field, cotton field, cabbage field, rape (transplanting field), onion field, tomato field Weeds and some broad-leaved weeds.
As of the date of publication, there are 38 registration certificates of mesochlor in the validity period, including 18 original drugs. Manufacturers include Swiss Syngenta Crop Protection Co., Ltd., Shangyu Yingtai Fine Chemical Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Yingtai Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Changqing Agrochemical Co., Ltd., Jiangsu Youshi Chemical Co., Ltd., etc. The preparation mainly includes some mixed products, and the main ingredients are atrazine and mesotrione.
Judging from the production situation, the main domestic production companies currently in operation include Jiangsu Evergreen and Shandong Binnong, which mainly supply Eastern Europe and Australia. In addition, according to Zhongshan Chemical, the company is also preparing for the production of refined metolachlor. At that time, mesochlor will be made into a compound preparation with some of Zhongshan's own varieties such as atrazine and mesotriazide, which are mainly put into the corn market, and can also be used to control weeds in sugarcane and wheat fields.
It is understood that the core of the production of refined metolachlor lies in the catalyst, which involves a key catalyst and is expensive. According to industry sources, at present, domestic production plants need to use 15 grams of this catalyst for every ton of metolachlor production, while Syngenta uses a certain catalyst recovery technology. Species catalyst. Therefore, in terms of production costs, Chinese companies face a competitive disadvantage.
Since the United States is the main market for mesochlor, it is important for companies to knock on the door of the US market in addition to the supply of original drugs. However, no domestic company has successfully registered acetolachlor in the United States. The main reason is that the compensation fee for US registered materials is relatively high, at US$20 million, which poses a greater operational risk for companies. In the future, with the increase in the registration of other multinational companies, this part of the fee may be reduced, which will reduce the cost of entry for the company.
market expectation
The global sales of metolachlor (containing refined metolachlor) have been steadily increasing. In 2003, its global sales were US$295 million, US$370 million in 2005, US$425 million in 2007, US$475 million in 2009, US$490 million in 2010, US$550 million in 2011, and US$635 million in 2013. From 2003 to 2013, the product's 10-year compound growth rate was 7.97%. In 2014, global sales declined slightly to 585 million US dollars. The analysis was mainly due to the fact that metolachlor was gradually replaced by other ingredients.
Compared with its competitive products, refined metolachlor has high purity, low pollution, high safety, low toxicity, and has a significant yield increase effect on corn. Since the successful development of Syngenta, in order to protect the environment, developed countries and regions began to restrict metolachlor. In 2002, the European Union banned metolachlor products; atrazine is classified as a reproductive toxic pesticide in the United States; Uruguay restricts the use of atrazine; as the areas where these products are banned expand, the market for refined metolachlor Gradually expanding, the future market has great potential. If domestic companies want to share this growing cake, they need to invest continuously in costs, while also avoiding Syngenta's patent risk. (Transfer from World Agrochemical Network)
