In July, FAO released a report on global pesticide use and trade from 1990 to 2021, with the following key points:

    In 2021, 3.54 million tons of global agricultural pesticides (converted into active ingredients, the same below) were used, an increase of 4% compared to 2020 and 11% compared to 10 years ago, twice the amount used in 1990. In 2021, the total export volume of global pesticide formulations reached 7.1 million tons, with an export value of 43.2 billion US dollars. The export volume decreased by 5% compared to 2020, while the export volume increased by 5%. In 2021, Asia had the highest level of pesticide exports, with 3.6 million tons of exported pharmaceutical products and an export value of 17.3 billion US dollars. In 2021, the Americas imported the most pesticide products from other regions of the world, reaching 1.2 million tons and an import value of 7.6 billion US dollars.

    In terms of pesticide usage, Asia has the highest proportion of insecticide use, reaching 38%; The proportion of pesticide use in Europe is the lowest, at 13%. From 1990 to 2021, the use of agricultural pesticides in Oceania increased by 206%, the fastest growing among all regions, while in the Americas it was 191%, in Africa it was 175%, in Asia it was 67%, and in Europe it was only 1%. The unit dosage of pesticides in farmland in Oceania is relatively low, at 1.66 kilograms per hectare. The pesticide usage per 1000 US dollars of agricultural output is 0.83 kilograms, but the per capita pesticide usage is relatively high, at 1.30 kilograms per person. On the contrary, these three indicators in the Americas region are relatively high, at 3.01 kg/ha, 1.49 kg/1000 US dollars, and 1.23 kg/person, respectively.

    In 2021, the total global use of agricultural pesticides was 3.54 million tons of active ingredients, an increase of 4% compared to 2020 and an increase of 11% within 10 years, which is twice the amount used in 1990. Compared to the 1990s, the global use of herbicides has increased by 53% in the past decade, fungicides by 111%, and insecticides by 44%; The proportion of herbicides used has increased from 40% to 49%, the proportion of insecticides has decreased from 26% to 22%, and the proportion of fungicides has decreased from 25% to 22%.

    In 2021, the total export volume of pesticide formulations decreased by 5% compared to 2020, reaching approximately 7.1 million tons. However, the export volume increased by 5%, reaching $43.2 billion. In the 10 years from 2012 to 2021, the export volume of pesticides increased by 68% and the export volume increased by 53%.

    In 2021, the global drug use per hectare of farmland was 2.26 kilograms, an increase of 4% compared to 2020; The dosage of medication per 1000 US dollars of agricultural output value is 0.86 kilograms, an increase of 2%; The per capita medication consumption is 0.45 kilograms, an increase of 3%. Compared to 1990, these indicators increased by 85%, 3%, and 33% respectively in 2021.