Allure of expired agro patents proves to be pesky problem

Patents on 46 agricultural chemicals developed by foreign companies will expire in China over the next five years, providing a tempting yet pesky opportunity for domestic agrochemical companies.

The market is vast, but of the "more than 260 kinds of pesticides made in China, only about 30 are domestic with proprietary intellectual property", said Zhang Yibin, deputy chief engineer at the Shanghai Pesticide Research Institute.

Multinational giants have a clear lead in patented products, said Zhang. Germany's Bayer AG alone has developed 81 pesticides, while BASF has 29.