Rainbow Agro Shares Strategies for Overcoming Global Challenges

AgriBusiness Global talked with Tom Lyons, General Manager of Rainbow Agro North America about the company’s recent expansion into U.S. and what the company’s view of the oversupply in the marketplace and strategies to navigate it.  

ABG: With the oversupply of glyphosate in the marketplace, for the 3rd and 4th quarters, do you see the supply normalizing, or will it take longer into 2025? 

Tom Lyons

Tom Lyons: Broadly, the glyphosate market is moving through what is likely to be a multi-year cycle to process the investments in inventory made by many companies responding to shortages created by the COVID-19 pandemic. Next year would round out that cycle, so we would anticipate channel inventories to return to normal levels as the stable and consistent demand for glyphosate at the farmer level continues to draw down what is in the channel today.  

ABG: What agrochemicals do you see being produced more of in China? What chemicals do you see will take the lead in the next ten years? 

TL:Rainbow has made significant investments in its ability to develop and manufacture biological solutions to support sustainable cropping systems now and in the future.  We see this investment expanding in our business, and broadly in China, over the next ten years, as advancements in our technology expand to meet the demand around the world.  

ABG: With China working toward sustainability, has Rainbow had to change anything to comply with sustainability? 

TL: From day one, Rainbow set out to build an organization that sets the standard for quality and safety in crop protection.  Our commitment to environmental health and safety has driven investments in world class manufacturing facilities and processes that have led the way in China’s environmental protection evolution over the years.  These standards are set for our global operations around the world, including our facilities in Latin America, Europe, and North America.  This approach is core to who we are as Rainbow, and we are committed to being a sustainable partner in the global crop protection supply landscape for years to come.  

ABG: What challenges are in the international crop protection market and what strategy is your company doing to overcome these challenges? 

TL: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed many of the current challenges crop protection brands face in the global supply chain today, where long buying cycles and layered sourcing routes inhibit the overall agility of crop protection supply.   

Rainbow has built an incredibly agile supply network, currently embedded in more than 100 countries, and supported by nine manufacturing plants around the world. The speed, customization and overall value we can generate for customers effectively unchains their crop protection supply, opening the doors to new product design possibilities that raise the bar for innovation in crop protection.  

ABG: What does a crop protection company need to do to stay competitive in today’s market? 

TL: At Rainbow, we aim to be a full-spectrum crop protection partner. Our goal is to deliver value at every stage of the crop protection process – from design all the way to delivery. In doing so, we introduce simplicity and efficiency into a process which, to date, has become incredibly complex. We believe companies like Rainbow who aspire to remove that complexity and operate with agility in its place will create a win-win proposition for themselves and their customers.  

ABG: What’s Rainbow’s most exciting current news?   

TL: Since the acquisition of the formulation and packaging plant in Houston, Texas, the momentum of Rainbow Agro in North America continues to grow. This summer and fall will be formative moments for the company, as our investments come to fruition in terms of our local operations and capabilities. We look forward to sharing more in the near future about the exciting times at Rainbow.   •

Tom Lyons – Rainbow Agro