Argentina's Atanor Strengthens Chinese Market Presence

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas). The leading Argentine chemical company, Atanor (Buenos Aires, Argentina), along side with the largest pesticide producer in China, Chinese Huaxing Chemical, has recently launched a large-scale project to build an industrial chemical park in the Chinese Province of Anhui. The project has been estimated to reach a total investment value of $45 million, where $16 million has been put forth by Atanor to hold a fifty-fifty share of the project between the two companies. This represents the largest Argentine investment expenditure in China.

During the initial phase of the project, the industrial complex will produce 40 million tones per year of PMIDA (phosphonomethyl iminodiacetic acid), which is a basic component to produce glyphosate. In a second phase, a new acid plant with a production capacity of 10,000 tons per year will be built to produce 2, 4- D (dichlorophenoxyacetic acid), which constitutes an essential herbicide for agrarian technology used mainly in no-till farming. It is the third-most widely used herbicide in North America and the most widely used herbicide in the world.

Established in 1938, Atanor is one of the major agrochemical producers in Argentina and is one of the largest glyphosate producers in the world. Glyphosate (phosphonomethyl glycine) is an herbicide commonly used in agriculture to kill weeds, especially perennials. Atanor’s leaders have guaranteed a high profit investment in this project while also using the opportunity for development and expansion of their nation’s agrochemical industry. The firm’s authorities further declared that the plant’s location was strategically chosen as a result of China’s vast phosphorus reserves and also due to China’s greater economic engagement with Latin America, which has finally reached Argentina.

Nowadays, as they continue to be China’s second most salient partner in South America, Argentina seeks to move beyond commodities exports to China and to focus on joint ventures in order to develop different industrial sectors such as biotechnology and agriculture; while also taking advantage of China’s political transparency, large economic investments, trade, skilled workers and diplomatic protection secured by the United Nations Security Council.

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