Market Trends of Spain Crop Protection Chemicals Industry
An Increase in the Area Under Cultivation
Spain is an important agricultural country with ample space for arable land and is the second-largest pesticide consumer in Europe. Farmers in the country are reliant on pesticide products to protect crops and increase production. The country is a major producer and exporter of various crops, including rice, wheat, corn, barley, olive oil, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cabbages, peppers, apples, bananas, pears, peaches, and other fruit crops. The area under cultivation has increased over the years, which is expected to drive the Spanish crop protection chemicals market.
The Fungicides Segment is Dominating the Market
The increasing fungal attacks on the major crops in the country drive the Spanish market for fungicides. Barley is the most cultivated crop in the country. Approximately 92% of the acreage for the third most grown cereals in Spain, barley (i.e., approximately 3.5 million tons), is devoted to animal feed.
However, Rhynchosporium commune, a common pathogen of scald in barley, is a foliar disease that can reduce yield by up to 40% in susceptible cultivars and has a detrimental impact on grain quality. Similarly, Puccinia triticina and P. striiformis f. sp. tritici are the fungi responsible for leaf rust and stripe rust in wheat crops. Most commercial bread wheat varieties grown in the southwestern part of the country have a moderate to high susceptibility to this pathogen.
Spain is a major producer of olives and olive oil. The country has dedicated 2.4 million hectares of land to this valuable crop. However, anthracnose, a fungal disease in olive fruit, is highly virulent and can cause an average annual crop loss of 2.6%. This increases the demand for fungicides in oilseed crops.
