Coated Fertilizers Market Size, Share & Industry Analysis, By Type (Polymer-Coated Fertilizers, Sulfur-coated Fertilizers, Others), By Crop Type (Cereals, Oilseeds and Pulses, Turf and Ornaments, Fruits and Vegetables, Others) and Regional Forecast, 2024-2032

Controlled-release fertilizers are largely separated into coated and uncoated fertilizers. Uncoated fertilizers depend on natural physical characteristics, such as low solubility, for their slow release. Coated fertilizers typically contain a fast-release nitrogen bases surrounded by a barrier that averts the nitrogen from liberating rapidly into the environment. A different range of coatings have been useful to regulate the solubility of fertilizers in water and soil. Adjusting the amount of nutrient discharge can offer increased yields and also provide environmental and economic benefits that are predicted to drive the global coated fertilizers market.

The prominent players operating in the market are embarking upon the research and development of innovative and affordable coated fertilizers to increase their prominence in the global coated fertilizers market. The companies are also focusing on enhancing their global reach to gain better presence especially in the developing agri-based markets of South America and Asia Pacific. Coated fertilizers are used in a variety of horticultural and agricultural situations. They provide an extended supply of nutrients that can provide multiple benefits to the crops.

A widespread range of materials has been used as coatings on soil and water-soluble fertilizers. Coatings are most commonly applied to granulated nitrogen fertilizer and sometimes coating is also applied to multi-nutrient fertilizers. Since urea has the highest content of nitrogen it is the base material for most coated fertilizers. Sulphur is one of the extensively used fertilizer coatings and it involved the sulfur layer enclosed with a layer of organic polymer. The utilization of coated fertilizers provides various benefits to agriculture. For instance, constant nutrient release can reduce gaseous losses, and also help to reduced application costs by eliminating the need for multiple fertilizer applications which is predicted to boost the demand for coated fertilizers. Furthermore, extended nutrient release may offer more uniform plant nutrition, improved plant performance, and better growth. The supreme benefit from coated fertilizer is only attained when the period of nutrient release is coordinated with the duration of crop nutrient uptake. Water-soluble fertilizers are commonly encapsulated or coated in films to slow the release of nutrients. For instance, Osmocote, a slow-release fertilizer contains a semipermeable membrane surrounding water-soluble nitrogen and other nutrients. The various government policies for encouraging the production and availability of fortified and coated fertilizers in the developed as well as developing regions is expected to drive the global market of coated fertilizers.

The additional production expense of coated fertilizer is linked with the additional coating to a fertilizer particle, so coated fertilizers are expensive than the non-coated fertilizer which is predicted to restrain the market growth in forthcoming years.

Key Players Covered:

The prominent players operating in the global coated fertilizers market are COMPO EXPERT, Nufarm Ltd., The Mosaic Company, Yara International ASA, Israel Chemicals Ltd., ScottsMiracle-Gro, Nutrien Ltd., Koch Industries, Helena Chemical, Haifa Chemicals, The Andersons Inc., Kingenta, and Others.

The polymer-coated fertilizers are anticipated to witness robust growth in the global coated fertilizers. The polymer coating is based on thermoplastic or resin-based coating. The increasing research activities on the development of low-cost polymer coating are anticipated to leverage the sale of polymer-coated fertilizers in forthcoming years. Furthermore, the polyolefin resin coating is gaining traction among grower owing to its highly controlled release characteristic. Fertilizers coated with sulfur are anticipated to hold a significant share in the global market of coated fertilizers. Sulphur use to crop fields has significantly decreased, which has directed to an extensive sulphur deficiency in soils. Therefore, sulfur-coated urea is widely used as a source of sulfur.

The turf and ornamental plants are expected to hold a prominent share in the global coated fertilizers market followed by fruits and vegetables. The large scale turf production in greenhouses, lawns, gardens and nurseries, along with the increasing number of nurseries and greenhouses worldwide is predicted to boost the demand for coated fertilizers. Turf and ornamentals are the most expensive plants and consumers tend to pay premium prices to take care of these plants, which is expected to boost the demand for coated fertilizers from turf and ornamental plant growers.

Regional Analysis:

North America dominated the global coated fertilizers market over the past few years and is expected to witness stationary growth over the forecast period owing to the mature agricultural sector. The U.S. is one of the leading consumers for coated fertilizers in the region. The well-established agricultural sector, easy availability of advanced technologies and highly skilled professional farming are projected to boost the demand for coated fertilizers within North America. 

Asia Pacific is predicted to witness robust growth in the global coated fertilizer market. The increasing growth of high-value crops and rising awareness among growers about the environmental benefits of coated fertilizers are expected to provide more scope for market expansion within the region. Increasing investment in research and development to develop innovative coated fertilizers and the installation of new production capacities by market players are projected to positively leverage the market in the Asia Pacific. The supportive government policies for encouraging the production and availability of coated fertilizers are expected to further propel the market growth.

Segmentation

Key Industry Developments:

• In September 2019, Nutrien, Ltd. (Canada) signed an agreement to acquire Ruralco Holdings Limited Australia based company. This acquisition is expected to help Nutrien to provide significant benefits to its stakeholders as well as enhance the delivery of its products and services to Australian farmers.


• In June 2018, Stamicarbon B.V., and Pursell Agri-Tech announced the expansion of their novel fertilizer coating facility in Alabama.