China’s Glyphosate Technical Price Climbs to 29,000 Yuan a Tonne as Raw Material Costs Bite
21 October 2026, China: Glyphosate technical prices in China have climbed sharply over the past month, driven by rising costs for key raw materials and a pickup in export demand, according to a report published by Shanghai Securities.
The price of glyphosate, the world’s highest-volume herbicide by usage, rose from around 25,400 yuan per tonne on September 11 to 29,000 yuan per tonne by October 16, a move the report described as an increase of roughly 3,000 yuan per tonne within a single month. The report, citing data from Choice and industry analysts at Sci-Chem (Zhuochuang Information) and OSChem (Longzhong Information), placed the increase in the context of a volatile year for the molecule.
Prices stood around 23,000 yuan per tonne in January and February on weak demand, climbed to near 29,000 yuan per tonne by late March, hit a 2026 high of 35,000 yuan per tonne on April 13, averaged around 33,000 yuan per tonne for the month of April, and eased back to 27,000 to 28,000 yuan per tonne by late June before resuming their climb into October.
The report attributed the latest increase to several overlapping pressures. Raw material costs have risen broadly, including yellow phosphorus, methanol, glycine, and glufosinate, the last being both an input and a competing herbicide. Yellow phosphorus prices in Shandong rose from 26,700 yuan per tonne on July 8 to 28,750 yuan per tonne by October 16, up about 7.7 percent, while East China methanol prices jumped from 2,580 yuan per tonne on August 5 to 3,970 yuan per tonne, a rise of roughly 54 percent.
Dry-season hydropower constraints in Yunnan and Guizhou, two provinces with significant phosphorus chemical production, are cited as a factor likely to keep yellow phosphorus prices elevated. The report also pointed to export-season demand, anticipated South American soybean-planting purchasing in the fourth quarter, the lingering effects of the Middle East geopolitical conflict on crude oil and upstream chemical valuations since late February, and increased trade activity tied to a 2026 international agrochemical trade exhibition.
China dominates global glyphosate supply. The report cited 2025 global glyphosate production capacity of about 1.18 million tonnes per year, with China accounting for roughly 810,000 tonnes, or nearly 70 percent of the total. Several major Chinese producers were cited with specific figures:
| Company | Glyphosate capacity | H1 2026 revenue | H1 2026 net profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Xingfa Group (Hubei) | 230,000 t/yr (largest in China) | 17.452 billion yuan (+19.37%) | 836 million yuan (+14.97%) |
| Xinan Co. | Not specified | 8.563 billion yuan | 254 million yuan (+268.03%) |
| Jiangshan Co. | 120,000 t/yr, plus 50,000 t/yr in trial production | Not specified | Not specified |
| Hebang Biotech | 60,000 t/yr existing, 350,000 t/yr under construction | Not specified | Not specified |
Xinan’s net profit for the first half of 2026 already exceeded its full-year 2025 profit, the report said. Analysts cited in the report forecast glyphosate prices settling in a range of 28,000 to 33,000 yuan per tonne through late 2026 and into the first quarter of 2027, suggesting producers expect current levels to hold rather than retreat sharply.
This price movement matters to global agribusiness because China’s dominant share of world glyphosate capacity means that Chinese technical-grade pricing functions as a leading indicator for formulation costs worldwide. Herbicide buyers, generic formulators, and row-crop growers across the Americas, India, and elsewhere who rely on glyphosate-based products for weed control ahead of the next planting cycle should expect input costs to track this upward movement, particularly if hydropower constraints in southwestern China persist through the dry season and raw material costs for phosphorus and methanol remain elevated.
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