18 September 2026, Beijing: China’s pesticide regulator approved 2,133 new product registration certificates in the first half of 2026, a 22.2 percent increase from the same period last year, according to an analysis published by regulatory intelligence firm ChemLinked, part of the REACH24H group, based on registration data compiled from the Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals, China’s official pesticide registration body under the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA). The figures point to a market that is registering more products overall while shifting its mix toward fungicides, biologicals-friendly formulation types and fewer but larger manufacturers.
Of the 2,133 new certificates, 2,005 covered formulated end-use products, up 23.2 percent year on year, while 128 covered technical grade active ingredients or concentrates, up 9.4 percent. Herbicides remained the largest single category by share of new certificates, at 29.5 percent, though that share has been shrinking steadily from 37.3 percent in 2020 as China’s herbicide registration pipeline matures. Insecticides took 28.9 percent of new certificates. Fungicides showed the sharpest growth, with 540 new certificates approved, up 39.2 percent from 388 in the first half of 2025, lifting their share of total approvals to 25.3 percent. Plant growth regulators accounted for the remaining 11.6 percent.
Category breakdown of new pesticide product certificates, H1 2026
Category
Share of new certificates
H1 2026 count
Change vs H1 2025
Herbicides
29.5%
not separately disclosed
not disclosed
Insecticides
28.9%
not separately disclosed
not disclosed
Fungicides
25.3%
540
+39.2%
Plant growth regulators
11.6%
not separately disclosed
not disclosed
Leading active ingredients by certificate count, H1 2026
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