The market for biological plant protection products in Europe in 2022 increased for the first time to a value of over EUR 1.6 billion. This corresponds to a share of almost 10%. throughout the EU market for plant protection products.
The market for beneficial insects is growing enormously
IBMA determined this number through an annual survey of approximately 150 member companies. According to IBMA, the market size of biological plant protection products doubled in the years 2016–2022, and in the years 2019–2022 there was an increase of 20%.
According to the association, all four categories of biological plant protection are experiencing strong growth – i.e. beneficial insects, microorganisms, natural substances, pheromones. Due to this, the sales volume of the use of beneficial insects increased by 65%. in 2019–2022. However, in other categories it is from 11 to 20 percent. From the association's point of view, only the beneficial insects market is not slowed down by EU regulations.
Approval process too long
IBMA complains that the approval process hinders further innovation in organic crop protection. Nevertheless, the number of approved products has doubled since 2016. Despite various obstacles, the European biological plant protection market is currently recording an annual growth rate of almost 10%, while the conventional plant protection market lags far behind with growth of around 4%. According to IBMA, more than 100 biologically active ingredients are currently in the approval process.
These figures demonstrate the urgent need for an EU-wide, legally binding definition of biological crop protection and an accelerated approval process, said the managing director of IBMA Germany/Austria. It is important to promote growth through forward-looking policies. While approval processes in the US and Brazil take two to three years, European farmers have to wait up to ten years for new plant protection products. This makes Europe unattractive and puts European farmers at a competitive disadvantage.
