Overview of the Research Process
The study followed a structured research process combining secondary research, primary research, market size estimation and forecasting. The process began with defining the market and its segmentation, followed by collecting data on product registrations, manufacturer portfolios, crop areas, pest incidence and biopesticide adoption. Preliminary estimates were then validated through discussions with industry participants and refined through data triangulation before the final market numbers and forecasts were produced.
Market definition and scoping: defining the product, segmentation and geographic coverage.
Secondary research: building a knowledge base from public and paid sources.
Primary research: validating assumptions and filling data gaps through interviews with supply-side and demand-side participants.
Market estimation: applying top-down and bottom-up approaches and reconciling the results.
Forecasting: projecting the market to 2032 using driver-based analysis.
Quality review: checking internal consistency across segments, regions and countries.
Secondary Research
Secondary research was used to understand the market structure, identify market participants and collect quantitative and qualitative inputs. Sources relevant to this industry included:
Regulatory bodies and government agencies: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) biopesticide listings, the EU Pesticides Database maintained by the European Commission, European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) conclusions, India's Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee (CIB&RC), Brazil's Ministry of Agriculture (MAPA) AGROFIT system, China's Institute for the Control of Agrochemicals (ICAMA), Kenya's Pest Control Products Board (PCPB) and the Instituto Colombiano Agropecuario (ICA).
Intergovernmental and statistical sources: the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) for crop area, production and pesticide-use statistics, and the OECD for work on biological pesticides.
Industry associations: biocontrol and biologicals industry bodies such as the International Biocontrol Manufacturers Association (IBMA), the Biological Products Industry Alliance (BPIA) in the United States, and national biopesticide associations.
Company sources: annual reports, investor presentations, product labels, technical data sheets and press releases of biopesticide manufacturers and distributors.
Scientific and trade literature: peer-reviewed journals on biological control and insect pathology, trade journals covering horticulture and crop protection, and conference proceedings.
Paid databases: company financial databases, trade statistics and agrochemical market databases.
Primary Research
Primary research was conducted to validate the findings of secondary research, obtain current market insight and refine the segment-level estimates. Interviews were held with participants across the value chain.
Supply side: executives and product managers at biopesticide manufacturers, fermentation and formulation specialists, regulatory affairs professionals, and distributors and agro-dealers of biological inputs.
Demand side: growers of greenhouse and open-field vegetables, fruit, plantation and field crops; crop advisers and IPM consultants; agricultural extension officers; and researchers at agricultural universities and institutes.
The objectives of primary research were to understand product pricing and margins, formulation preferences, application practices, crop- and pest-specific adoption patterns, regional regulatory conditions, and the competitive positioning of suppliers, and to validate growth expectations for the forecast period.
Market Size Estimation
Top-down approach: the overall biopesticide and microbial insecticide markets were used as a starting point. The share of entomopathogenic fungi and, within that, the share of Lecanicillium-based products were estimated for each region and country, and then split by formulation, crop type and target pest using adoption and usage data.
Bottom-up approach: estimates were built from the supply side, using the product portfolios, registrations, production capacities and estimated sales of manufacturers, and from the demand side, using treated crop area, application rates, number of applications per season and average product prices.
Data triangulation: the results of both approaches were compared and reconciled with inputs from primary interviews. Where the approaches diverged, assumptions were reviewed and adjusted until the estimates converged within an acceptable range. Segment, regional and country totals were checked so that they add up to the global total.
Forecasting Methodology
The forecast was developed by analysing historic trends from 2022 to 2025 and applying driver-based projections for 2026–2032. The factors considered include:
Regulatory developments affecting chemical insecticides and the registration of microbial products.
Growth in protected cultivation and high-value horticulture.
Pest pressure and insecticide resistance trends in whiteflies, aphids, thrips and other target pests.
Government support for biological inputs, organic farming and IPM.
Improvements in formulation technology, shelf life and field efficacy.
Agricultural commodity prices, farm incomes and crop area changes.
Product launches, capacity expansions and distribution partnerships by suppliers.
Each factor was assessed for its likely impact over the short, medium and long term, and the forecasts were reviewed with industry participants for reasonableness.
Assumptions and Limitations
Market values are expressed in nominal USD Million. Local currency values were converted at average annual exchange rates, and currency fluctuations during the forecast period are not modelled separately.
The regulatory environment for microbial biopesticides is assumed to remain stable or improve gradually, with no major bans or sudden changes in registration requirements in key markets.
Products sold under the names Verticillium lecanii, Lecanicillium lecanii, Lecanicillium muscarium and Akanthomyces muscarius are treated as part of the same market because they serve the same applications.
Many producers are private companies that do not disclose product-level sales, so company-level estimates rely on triangulated assumptions rather than reported data.
Informal and on-farm production of entomopathogenic fungi, which is common in some countries, is difficult to measure and is captured only where it reaches commercial channels.
Weather conditions, pest outbreaks and commodity price cycles can cause year-to-year variation that is not fully reflected in the forecast.
