How is Increasing Horticulture Driving Biodegradable Mulch Film Market?

In 2019, there were 7.7 billion people on this earth, and this number is on path to increasing to 9.7 billion by 2050, as per the latest World Population Prospects report published by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. More people mean more mouths to feed, because of which the population boom is putting immense pressure on farmlands, which are now expected to drastically increase their productivity. With time and repeated sowing and reaping cycles, the top soil erodes. Additionally, weed can also grow on the soil, and it might start losing nutrients.

Thus, to protect the soil for maximum agricultural yield, mulching is being practiced. It is a simple process, in which a film is applied over the soil to reduce erosion, weed growth, and nutrient loss. Therefore, with the increasing demand for food, the biodegradable mulch film market is expected to grow from $34,145.1 thousand in 2016 to $64,039.0 thousand by 2023, at a CAGR of 9.4% during 2017–2023 (forecast period). Earlier plastic was the film material of choice, but since it itself causes pollution, the use of eco-friendly variants is being promoted.

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Biodegradable mulch films are made from starch, polylactic acid, and polyhydroxyalkanoate. Among these raw materials, films made from starch have found the widest application till now, on account of the low cost of the raw material, along with its numerous advantages, such as environment sustainability and compatibility with different types of soil. In addition, starch is easily available, which makes it extremely easy to make mulch films out of it. Further, with starch-based mulch films, the growth of weeds can be better controlled, the structure of the soil can be improved, and soil can be protected from becoming contaminated.

These films are used for the farming of flower & plants, grains & cereals, and fruits & vegetables, among which the cultivation of fruits And vegetables accounts for the highest mulching usage, owing to their high consumption. As per Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare of India, horticulture production in India, which includes the cultivation of vegetables and fruits, increased by 4.8% during 2017–18. Thus, with the growing production of fruits and vegetables, the demand for biodegradable mulch films will increase too.

Much of the population rise is being witnessed in emerging economies, which means that the demand for food will also rise the sharpest in these countries. This is why companies providing mulch films can increase their presence in these nations to make quick money. Except the U.S., all the top 10 most populated countries are in the developing phase: China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Brazil, Nigeria, Bangladesh, Russia, and Mexico. Being emerging economies, a lot of these countries are also predominantly agrarian, which means that for anyone who wants to invest in the agricultural sector, opportunities in developing countries are aplenty.

Not surprisingly, the largest biodegradable mulch film market is Asia-Pacific (APAC), which is the most populated region on earth; it is home to India and China, the only two countries with over a billion people! It is easy to imagine, but difficult to gauge, the actual demand for food products in these nations and the rising expectations from farmlands, in terms of high productivity and quality produce. Within APAC, China is the largest user of the mulching technique, owing to its vast agricultural landscape and huge population.

Thus, with the need for increasing the yield from farmlands, the use of biodegradable mulch films will keep growing.