Agricultural Films Market is predicted to reach USD 16 Billion at a CAGR of 4.00% during the forecast period

Pune, India, Oct 2022, MRFR Press Release/Market Research Future has published a Cooked Research Report on the Global Agricultural Films Market.

Global Agricultural films market

The market for agricultural films has grown as their use in farming has become more common. Agricultural films keep the soil moist, which helps to protect the soil's natural nutrients. They also reduce the soil degradation caused by weeds. Agricultural films guarantee a greater harvest and its efficient use. For this reason, they are a common tool in today's advanced farms for increasing crop yields. Low-cost agricultural films, such nano-greenhouse films, are a key area of research and development for the companies now active in the agricultural films sector. There is no need for energy, making these films ideal for use in off-the-grid settings. The growing consumer interest in organic grains, fruits, and vegetables is one of the main factors propelling the agricultural films market.

Market Synopsis

According to the MRFR analysis, the global agricultural films market size is projected to reach USD 16 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 4.00%.

Agricultural films consist of stretchable plastic used to protect plants in open ground and greenhouses. Various additives, including as anti-fogging agents and UV and thermal stabilizers, have been used to increase the durability and performance of these goods. Growing use of such efficient plastic additives in farming is a direct result of the unrelenting demand for food. This new industry has the potential to increase agricultural output. These films are used in a variety of contexts, including greenhouses, tunnels, greenhouses, irrigation systems, mulching, and silage. These materials can be fashioned into nets and installed inside greenhouses to protect plants from hail. Market expansion is anticipated to be driven by rising demand for agricultural films, which in turn benefits from the expansion of the agricultural industry.

The widespread adoption of plastic sheets for agricultural purposes has had a profound effect on agriculture and beyond. Plastic films have also helped turn unusable terrain into farms. You can get LDPE, LLDPE, HDPE, EVA/EBA, reclaims, and other films used in agriculture. The development of farming and the greenhouse business is a major factor propelling the agricultural films market. The demand for agricultural films is expected to rise over the projected period as a result of factors such as the growing popularity of using greenhouses to increase crop yields and the recent expansion of the agricultural films market. Agricultural film producers can cash in on a growing market by capitalising on the demand for farm films, plastic mulch for agriculture, and mulch films for farms.

Competitive Landscape

The key players operating in the global market are RKW Group (Germany), Coveris (Austria), Rani Group (Finland), Groupe Barbier (France), Plastika Kritis (Greece), Industrial Development Company Sal (Lebanon), Polifilm Group (Germany), Sigma Plastics Group (US), Trioworld (Sweden), and The Grupo Armando Alvarez (Spain). In 2020, these players held a significant share of the global market.

The global agricultural films market is highly fragmented, with both tier-1 and tier-2 players with leaders, holding the largest share of the global agricultural films due to their industry experience, diverse product portfolio, strong revenue base, and global distribution network.

The global agricultural film market is dominated by several small and large-scale producers and suppliers. The majority of businesses are implementing new technologies and strategies based on extensive research and development, mostly to boost flexibility and manufacturing processes. Key players' principal tactics include product range expansion and mergers and acquisitions.

Segmentation

By Polymer Type

• Linear Low-density Polyethylene (LLDPE): Linear Low-density Polyethylene (LLDPE) is widely used in agricultural films due to its high tensile strength, flexibility, heat sealability, and low-temperature tolerance. Moreover, due to its superior tear resistance property, it is highly suitable for the production of mulch films and silage wrapping films. These films are available in 0.5 mm to 4 mm thickness. The segment accounted for around 38.50% market share in terms of value in 2021.


• Low Density Polyethylene: Low-density Polyethylene (LDPE) is one of the most commonly used thermoplastics used in the production of agricultural films. LDPE offers good tear resistance and high moisture barrier properties, which makes it highly suitable for the production of canal and pond lining films. Manufacturers also tend to add polymer additives to the LDPE resins in order to increase their UV resistance and weather resistance properties


• Ethylene Vinyl Acetate: Ethylene-vinyl Acetate (EVA) copolymers are widely used in the production of greenhouse films owing to their flexibility and excellent clarity. It is often co-extruded with other resins like LDPE and LLDPE or used in the production of multilayered films. Moreover, the use of EVA also helps in improving the low-temperature performance of LLDPE and LDPE films.


• HDPE (High-density polyethylene): HDPE (High-density polyethylene) is flexible, rigid, and strong semi-translucent thermoplastic and offers good chemical and vapor resistance properties. HDPE is witnessing growing adoption in the production of bale wrap films owing to its good vapor barrier and downgauging properties.


• Reclaim Polyethylene: LDPE and HDPE account for a significant portion of the world’s plastic waste products. These are highly durable non-biodegradable plastics that will remain around for many years unless recycled properly. Significant improvements in recycling technology and the growing demand for sustainable plastics provide a major boost to polyethylene recycling across the world. A large number of agricultural film manufacturers have adopted reclaimed polyethylene into their production process to reduce raw material costs and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.


• Others: Other polymer types include Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC), Polypropylene (PP), and Ethylene Butyl Acrylate (EBA).

By Application

• Mulching: Mulching is an agricultural technique that involves applying a protective layer on top of the soil. Mulching helps in the conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility & health of the soil, and reducing weed growth and thereby help in crop yield. Agricultural films are widely used as mulch films owing to their moisture barrier properties and puncture resistance. As a result, the adoption of mulching to increase the crop yield is expected to drive the demand for agricultural films over the forecast period.


• Greenhouses: A greenhouse can be defined as a framed structure covered with transparent material to facilitate crop cultivation under a controlled environment. Greenhouses are widely used for cultivating high-value vegetable crops and ornamental flowers. Plastic films made from a combination of LDPE and EVA polymers are widely used in the construction of greenhouse structures owing to their transparency and ability to withstand weather forces. Thus, the growing cultivation of exotic vegetables and high-value ornamental flowers across the world is expected to drive the demand for greenhouse films over the forecast period.


• Silage: Silage films are primarily used to preserve silage, maize, and hay through the winter and rainy seasons. These films play a key role in preserving the nutritional value of the stored contents and preventing the occurrence of the undesirable fermentation process. These films are typically made using the 3 to 5 layer extraction process. However, the growing demand for oxygen barrier films is leading manufacturers to adopt 5 and 7 layer extrusion processes.


• Others: The others segment includes micro tunnels, canal/ pond lining films, and bale wrap films.

By Region

• North America: The market in North America held a significant share of the global agricultural market in 2021. Widescale adoption of greenhouse farming for year-round cultivation of horticultural and floricultural crops has emerged as one of the major factors driving the agricultural films demand within the region. Additionally, the rising use of silage and bale wrap films to preserve fodder crops during the winter is anticipated to drive the product demand in North America.


• Europe: Agriculture films are widely used in Western European countries such as Germany, France, and Spain, where forage is grown on huge scales for feed reasons. For example, in Germany, arable land fodder crops represented for 15.4% of agricultural land and spanned 2.6 million hectares. The region's increasing livestock production has encouraged fodder farming, which has boosted the agricultural film market.


• Asia-Pacific: Asia-Pacific region emerged as the largest market for agricultural films. The region is one of the largest producers of cash crops, vegetables, and horticultural products in the world. The rising institutional support in the form of agricultural subsidies by various countries in the region to improve per acre crop yields is projected to boost the adoption of agricultural films in the region.


• Latin America: According to the FAO, this region cultivated 1.4 million hectares of vegetable land. Vegetable cultivation across such vast areas necessitates significant volumes of agriculture films for mulching. Greenhouse farming is becoming increasingly popular in Latin American countries such as Brazil and Argentina, and it is expected to expand rapidly. In 2019, Brazil and Argentina had 36,517 hectares for protected farming. The enormous horticulture industry, combined with increased greenhouse farming, is expected to drive the South American agricultural film market.


• Middle East & Africa: The Middle East & Africa agricultural films market is expected to grow robustly over the forecast period. The growing use of greenhouse farming techniques to optimize water and land use is expected to be the major factor driving the market growth. Additionally, several GCC countries such as UAE, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia supporting startup companies to undertake greenhouse farming in the desert. If successful on a wider scale, this initiative may revolutionize the GCC farming sector and generate a burgeoning demand for agricultural films over the forecast period.