The Pest Management Regulatory Agency (PMRA) of Health Canada recently released its "2023 Pesticide Sales Report," which indicates that the total pesticide sales (converted to 100% basis) in Canada reached 143,000 tonnes, a 2.2% increase compared to 2022, continuing a five-year upward trend.

Figure 1: Canadian Pesticide Sales Volume 2019-2023

Pesticide sales data shows a steady growth trend, increasing from 117 million kilograms of active ingredients in 2019 to 143 million kilograms of active ingredients in 2023.

Herbicides Continue to Lead the Market, Accounting for 80% of Agricultural Use

Herbicides remain the "main force" in the Canadian pesticide market, accounting for 57.4% of total sales, reaching 82,062,591 kg a.i., a 5% increase year-on-year. Among them, glyphosate remains at the top of the sales list, with triallate climbing to second place, closely followed by glufosinate ammonium, 2,4-D, and other popular varieties.

The top ten active herbicide ingredients represent the absolute majority of the market, accounting for 85% of sales. This extremely high market share, coupled with the relatively low registration costs in Canada, maintains its strong appeal to pesticide companies. Consequently, the number of relevant registration applications and approvals remains high each year.

Figure 2: Top 10 Herbicide Sales in Canada in 2023 (100% basis)

The herbicide sales chart shows that glyphosate sales far exceed other varieties, exceeding 51,500 tonnes, while triallate sales also surpassed 6,800 tonnes.

Top Sales Rankings for Insecticides, Fungicides, and Antimicrobials

The PMRA classifies pesticide products into categories such as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, antimicrobials, insect repellents, and rodenticides. Below are the top-selling insecticide, fungicide, and antimicrobial ingredients for 2023.

Figure 3: Top Sales Rankings for Insecticides, Fungicides, and Antimicrobials in Canada in 2023

In the categories of various pesticide ingredients, insecticides are represented by mineral oil and phosmet, fungicides include mancozeb and captan, while antimicrobials feature available chlorine and coal tar, among others.