ADAMA president and chief executive Gaël Hili commended the company’s relationship with Australia’s major rural retailers and is looking forward to further strengthening its business with local partners.

Gaël joined ADAMA in October 2024 after working as the head of Europe for Syngenta crop protection and seeds field crops and was recently in Australia to meet with customers.

ADAMA is part of the Syngenta Group, which is owned by Sinochem Holdings.

Gaël says the Australian crop protection market was a stable, mature and relatively commoditised market and it was valuable to further understand how retail partners managed their product portfolios and balanced their own product brands.

“We enjoyed a very positive reaction with all major retailers,” Gaël says.

“Here in Australia, ADAMA holds a strong position, and the trust we’ve built with all major retail partners continues to grow.”

He says Australia and New Zealand was a strategic market for ADAMA and the company had a portfolio designed specifically to suit the market and a commitment to the region.

“With the over-capacity out of China, the global profit pool has reduced, and some companies have reviewed their geographic footprint and made choices, including reducing resources.

“There’s been uncertainty and instability. It’s been a case of the first ones to adapt will succeed best.

“Australia is also a highly commoditised and unpredictable market due to the weather, and this has affected the commitment of some manufacturers, but for ADAMA, Australia is a tier one market, and we see strong opportunities to support our partners and producers.”

Gaël says ADAMA had been through a phase of streamlining its business and product portfolio, with a strong focus on its cost base.

“The Australian crop protection market is 80-85 per cent off-patent and we are an off-patent company, but there is space for value creation of AI (active ingredient) mixes,” he explains.

“This presents an opportunity to create value for our customers, whereas with commodity products we know the importance of having a relevant range to support our customers.

“Our portfolio comprises 50 per cent commodity products and 50 per cent differentiated products.

“Commodity products are important to our portfolio, as they complement our more differentiated products. It is important to keep a balance between the two, so that we can offer a solution to most issues growers face.

“Australian growers are looking for return on investment – our portfolio assists in the value chain.”

Gaël says industry issues such as herbicide resistance are more acute in Australia and will remain a key challenge for growers and the local sector, but this is where ADAMA’s two-way and three-way herbicide mixes would be highly relevant.