Buy the full study
Summary of our market study
Since 2020, the global fertilizer market has experienced major disruptions due to external factors such as soaring raw material prices and geopolitical tensions, in particular the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
Natural gas, which can account for up to 80% of the production costs of some fertilizers, saw prices rise dramatically after the health crisis, hampering production and causing fertilizer prices to soar.
The reduction in exports by major players such as Russia, which was the world's second largest producer and had interrupted its exports, only to resume them at the end of 2022, created a shortage in Europe, where fertilizer prices soared.this created a shortage in Europe, where fertilizer production was affected, with up to 70% of operations halted by September 2022.
In France, fertilizer production jumped to 4.059 billion euros in 2022.
Global demand is forecast at 3.3% per year between 2023 and 2032.
The French market is undergoing a dramatic shift in favor of natural fertilizers, with UNIFA reporting a 24% drop in mineral fertilizer deliveries over the 2022/2023 period.
Overall, the fertilizer market is undergoing a major transformation, as it faces supply constraints, price rises and changing farmer preferences in response to environmental considerations.
The fertilizer market in France
The need to maintain crop yields drives a persistent need for fertilizers, divided into natural and chemical categories according to their composition and production process. France has long depended on fertilizer imports due to its lack of domestic resources for production.
Following the resumption of Russian exports and the ensuing fall in prices, the French market is experiencing stable demand.
Farmers are adapting by reducing fertilizer use or opting for crop varieties that require less fertilizer. Interest in natural fertilizers is strong, challenging the market dominance of chemical fertilizers.
Production of natural fertilizers in France is stagnating, underlining the complexity of this market transition. The trend shows a long period of declining mineral fertilizer consumption - an estimated 45% drop over three decades. Agricultural practices, volatile market prices and the rise of organic farming have collectively contributed to this drop in demand. Fertilizer deliveries have fallen sharply, particularly for nitrogen, phosphate and potassium fertilizers, with declines estimated at between 20% and 50%.
The geographical concentration of fertilizer demand corresponds to the layout of agricultural land in France, and is more pronounced in the northern and western parts of the country.
The main players in the fertilizer market
- EuroChem Group AG and PJSC PhosAgro are two Russian companies with global reach.
- Nutrien Limited, formed from the merger of Agrium Inc. and Potash Corp. is a Canadian giant in the sector.
- Norwegian company Yara International ASA stands out for its commitment to sustainable agriculture.
- CF Industries Holdings Inc. and The Mosaic Company, both from the USA, have significant market shares thanks to their wide range of products.
- Coromandel International Ltd, an Indian company, is part of a fast-growing Asian market.
- OCP S.A., from Morocco, is renowned for its phosphate production.
- Israel Chemicals Ltd
- K+S Aktiengesellschaft, a German entity, completes the list with its broad portfolio, which includes not only fertilizers but also salt products.
to understand this market
Detailed content of our market study
Inforamtion
- Number of pages : ~ 40 pages
- Format : Digital and PDF versions
- Last update :
Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
1.1 Market definition and scope
Modern agriculture relies on the use of fertilizers, which are essential to obtain acceptable yields and thus to pay farmers properly. Fertilizers fall into two categories: natural (or organic) fertilizers, which result from the decomposition of plant or animal matter, and chemical (or mineral) fertilizers, which are of mineral origin and have undergone several chemical transformations in order to possess the required qualities. We also distinguish between straight fertilizers, made up solely of nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, and complex fertilizers, made up of a mixture of at least two of the above-mentioned substances, or even all three. Nitrogen fertilizers are the most widely used in agriculture today.
The global market is booming, driven by giants such as Brazil and the USA, and is expected to register a CAGR of 3.3% over the period 2023 - 2032 [Precedence Research]. Asia Pacific is the region with the largest market share, at around 60%, and is dominated by China with 53%.
Europe has recently gone through a number of crises that have shaken up the fertilizer market. Indeed, since the end of 2020, raw material prices have soared, sharply increasing fertilizer selling prices. This is due to the central role played by natural gas in the production of certain fertilizers, which can account for up to 80% of the production price. Then the Russian-Ukrainian conflict turned the market upside down. Indeed, since February 2022, Russia, which was the 2ᵉ biggest fertilizer exporter after China, has reduced its exports, leaving European countries deprived of fertilizer.
France did not escape these hardships, but fared well given that its production saw record results in 2022. Farmers, on the other hand, are in a difficult situation, and although Russia has resumed mass exports and prices have fallen again, demand is no longer there. Indeed, many farmers have decided to use less fertilizer or to change crops in favor of less fertilizer-intensive species.
In addition, natural fertilizers are gaining ground on chemical fertilizers as a result of collective environmental awareness. As a result, the French fertilizer market, greatly weakened by the many crises it has undergone, is undergoing a veritable revolution and must adapt to new demands.
1.2 A growing world market but a struggling European market
The fertilizer market was estimated at $*** billion in ****, and is expected to register a CAGR of *.*% over the period **** - ****[***].
Trends in global fertilizer market size World, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****
Asia-Pacific represents the largest fertilizer market, with a market share of around **%, and is expected to achieve a CAGR of ...
1.3 French market trends similar to those in Europe
French production dynamics are similar to those of the European market. As France does not have the resources needed to produce fertilizers on its own territory, it is extremely dependent on imports. It has therefore borne the full brunt of the drop in Russian, Belarusian and Chinese exports and the rise ...
1.4 France highly dependent on imports
France is an extremely import-dependent country. In fact, **% of our fertilizer needs are imported[***].
French fertilizer imports France, **** - ****, in $ billions Source: ****
French imports, which fell slightly in **** due to the health crisis, picked up again in **** to reach a record value of $*.* billion in **** (***).
Main French fertilizer-supplying countries France, ****, in ...
2 Demand analysis
2.1 National demand undermined by difficult market conditions
French demand for fertilizers has been falling for many years. In fact, mineral fertilizer consumption has fallen by **% in ** years, according to Unifa (***)[***].
Fertilizer consumption France, ****-****, kg/Ha of arable land Source: ****
Fertilizer consumption per hectare of arable land, which had been rising until ****, stagnated for a while before declining, ...
2.2 Geographic concentration of fertilizer demand
Since we don't have access to fertilizer demand by département, we can use the département map showing the distribution of agricultural land (***) in France in **** to get an idea of which départements consume the most fertilizer.
Source: ****
France's agricultural land is geographically concentrated in the north and west ...
2.3 French demand for fertilizers reflects a desire to smooth out purchases
changing farmer profile:
French farmers are increasingly trying to establish a smoothed pattern of fertilizer consumption. This smoothing behavior enables them to have an average risk spread over a full year, resulting in better annual visibility of production costs and more controlled risk management.as prices fluctuate throughout the year, and ...
2.4 The evolution of the French agri-food market, closely linked to fertilizer demand
French demand for fertilizers (***). Fertilizer demand is in fact an increasing function of these two markets.
Breakdown of European agricultural production by value Europe, ****, in Source: ****
France is Europe's leading agricultural producer by value, and its production in **** will account for **% of European production in the same year. This figure explains ...
3 Market structure
3.1 Fertilizer production in decline
This section considers NAF code **.**Z entitled "Manufacture of nitrogen products and fertilizers"[***].
Number of companies in the nitrogen products and fertilizers industry France, ****-**** Source: ****
The number of companies has increased slightly since ****. With *** in ****, we can deduce that the nitrogen products and fertilizers market is not highly concentrated and ...
3.2 Organizing producers and distributors
French producers
TheUnion des Industries de la Fertilisation [***] is an organization whose main objective is twofold: to ensure the satisfaction of agricultural needs in France while limiting the ecological impact of the activity. UNIFA is committed to preserving the environment, promoting rational soil fertilization and monitoring the quality of fertilizers on ...
4 Offer analysis
4.1 Product typology
There are two main categories of fertilizer: chemical (***).
Chemical fertilizers:
Produced from minerals that undergo a series of chemical transformations enabling their composition to be precisely measured, they are the heart of today's fertilizer market. They offer a number of advantages, such as almost immediate action on soils and plants. They ...
4.2 Fertilizer price trends
Fertilizers are a significant expense in agriculture, and their cost on a farm can vary according to a number of factors, including the characteristics of the production system, the farm's agronomic context, the technical itinerary and the farmer's fertilizer purchasing strategy. According to data from the INOSYS Réseaux d'élevage ...
4.3 Certain exogenous factors influence the price of chemical fertilizers
The fact that France's weight on the world market is very low compared to countries such as China, India or Brazil means that French supply and demand movements have no impact on the international market and prices. for example, according to Yara, in the event of a French demand shock, global ...
4.4 The retail offer
Fertilizer consumption by private individuals represents a marginal share of the fertilizer market in France. Nevertheless, it's worth mentioning this small part of the market here, as the supply of fertilizers for private individuals has quite different characteristics from the rest of the market.
Distribution: the distribution and marketing channels are ...
5 Regulations
5. European regulations governing the marketing of fertilizers
The regulations particularly target the use and sale of mineral fertilizers due to their chemical dimension.
EU regulation ****/****, in force since July ****, replaces and repeals regulation (***) no. ****/****, which concerned inorganic fertilizers in particular. This new regulation lays down the rules for making EU fertilizers available on the market:
the European Union's ...
6 Positioning the players
6. Segmentation
- Borealis Chimie
- Terrial
- Toopi Organics
- Roullier Groupe
- ICL Groupe
- OCI Nutramon
- Gamm Vert (Teract Groupe)
- Jardiland (Groupe Teract)
- Israel Chemicals
- Coromandel International Ltd.
- The Mosaic Company
- Yara International
- Nutrien
- EuroChem Group
- Agriconomie
- Frayssinet
List of charts presented in this market study
- Russia's share of world exports
- Urea price trend
- Extra-EU European fertilizer trade
- Trends in the size of the global fertilizer market
- Sales in the nitrogen products and fertilizer manufacturing sector
All our studies are available online in PDF format
Take a look at an example of our research on another market!
Latest news
Agriconomie tops 100 million euros in sales and sets course for Germany - 09/11/2023
- E-commerce platform for farmers
- Agriconomie's last fiscal year sales: 108 million euros in June 2023.
- Two years earlier, Agriconomie had sales of 40 million euros.
- Investments received by Agriconomie in 2022: 60 million euros.
- Agriconomie lists some 200,000 products on its platform.
- The company claims 500,000 unique visitors per month.
- 35% of French farmers have already been invoiced and delivered by Agriconomie.
- The start-up has 150,000 customers in Europe.
- Agriconomie acquired its competitor Agrando, which had raised 12 million euros in 2021.
- Agriconomie opened a 15-strong office in Wurzburg, Germany.
Toopi Organics to industrialize urine-based fertilizer production - 17/09/2023
- Toopi Organics raised 1 million euros in 2020.
- The company has raised 11 million euros from several impact funds.
- It has secured a further 5 million from Ademe and Bpifrance.
- The company was founded in 2019. Toopi Organics' product, Lactopi Start, is designed to treat 600,000 hectares of field crops by 2027.
- Toopi Organics plans to build two plants with a capacity of 1 million liters each, the first of which will cost 6 million euros.
- The first plant will come on stream in Gironde in 2025, and the second will be built in Belgium.
- The company employs around 30 people and is forecasting sales of 15 million euros in 2027.
Roullier in Saint-Malo: sales up 100% in 4 years - 11/04/2023
- The Roullier Group's sales have been multiplied by 2 in four years, rising from 2 billion euros in 2019 to 4.2 billion euros in 2022.
- 75% of sales are generated outside France.
- The Roullier Group employs some 7,200 people in 42 countries, including 900 in France.
- The company's products are sold in 125 countries.
- Headquartered in Saint-Malo, the group has seven activities: food processing, algology, renewable energy, magnesia, phosphate, plastics and Timac Agro.
- The group's rapid expansion is due to 11 acquisitions made over the last 3 years on 4 different continents.
Jardiland: turnkey garden maintenance services - 13/10/2022
- 176 stores in France, including around 100 in 2021
- sales of almost 800 million euros (including VAT)
- 36 stores offer services: garden furniture assembly, tree and shrub planting, plant repotting, lawn mowing, hedge trimming, vegetable garden design, barbecue set-up, greenhouse installation, turfing, etc
Fertilizers: Borealis plans to sell its Rosier subsidiary. - 13/06/2022
- Belgian mineral fertilizer company Rosier, a subsidiary of Austrian Borealis, has sales of 233.8 million euros in 2021 (down 3.2% on the previous year)
Toopi Organics wants to set up mass production of fertilizer from urine. - 10/06/2022
- Created in 2019 Production of 250,000 liters per year
- Target: 20 processing units
- consolidated sales of 60 to 80 million euros
- 240 to 280 new hires
Companies quoted in this study
This study contains a complete overview of the companies in the market, with the latest figures and news for each company. :
Choosing this study means :
Access to more than 35 hours of work
Our studies are the result of over 35 hours of research and analysis. Using our studies allows you to devote more time and added value to your projects.
Benefit from 6 years' experience and over 1,500 industry reports already produced
Our expertise enables us to produce comprehensive studies in all sectors, including niche and emerging markets.
Our know-how and methodology enable us to produce reports that offer unique value for money.
Access to several thousand articles and paid-for data
Businesscoot has access to all the paid economic press as well as exclusive databases to carry out its market research (over 30,000 articles and private sources).
To enhance our research, our analysts also use web indicators (semrush, trends, etc.) to identify market trends and company strategies. (Consult our paying sources)
Guaranteed support after your purchase
A team dedicated to after-sales service, to guarantee you a high level of satisfaction. +44 238 097 0676
A digital format designed for our users
Not only do you have access to a PDF, but also to a digital version designed for our customers. This version gives you access to sources, data in Excel format and graphics. The content of the study can therefore be easily retrieved and adapted for your specific needs.
Our offers :
the fertilizer market | France
- What are the figures on the size and growth of the market?
- What is driving the growth of the market and its evolution?
- What is the positioning of companies in the value chain?
- Data from several dozen databases
Pack 5 études (-15%) France
- 5 études au prix de 75,6€HT par étude à choisir parmi nos 800 titres sur le catalogue France pendant 12 mois
- Conservez -15% sur les études supplémentaires achetées
- Choisissez le remboursement des crédits non consommés au terme des 12 mois (durée du pack)
Consultez les conditions du pack et de remboursement des crédits non consommés.
Our customer references
They have consulted our studies
Discover the opinions (+500)
Malcolm Vincent
Astoria Finance
Gregoire de Castelnau
Stags Participations
Timothé Huignard
PWC
Paul-Alexis Kebabtchieff
BCG
Aymeric Granet
Publicis Consultant
interviews & case studies
All interviews and case studies (45)
