自 2007/08 年草甘膦价格大幅上涨以来，草甘膦在中国一直受到密切关注。随着老牌公司继续开设新设施，中国的产能尤其受到密切关注。
Glyphosate’s consumption surged in recent years, spurred by wide planting of Roundup-resistant crops and promotion of non-tillage agriculture. From 2004 to 2008, the average growth rate of global glyphosate reached 27 percent, much higher than the global economic growth rate, and the total consumption volume has reached about 600,000 tonnes.
除了中国的企业， 孟山都, 诺托克斯公司 和 切米诺娃 also can produce glyphosate technical from DEA. And some enterprises purchased PMIDA from China to produce glyphosate technical, such as Argentina’s 阿塔诺尔, India’s Excel 和 萨贝罗, and Indonesia’s 铂。达尔宗.
中国制造
中国凭借其充足的化学工业设施、丰富的黄磷、低廉的劳动力成本和技术专长，完全有能力利用飞涨的价格。中国很快成为世界上最大的草甘膦生产国。中国草甘膦产能从 2007 年的 323,400 吨增加到 2010 年的 835,900 吨，复合年增长率 (CAGR) 达到 37%。如果所有其他草甘膦制造商都停产，中国有足够的草甘膦产能来满足全球需求。
产能的快速扩张导致开工率下降，从 2007 年的 60% 下降到如今的 40% 左右。 2007/08年，许多企业在没有成熟技术或配套原料的情况下，也纷纷涌入草甘膦生产领域，以期获得有利的利润。由于近两年半草甘膦市场不景气，这些企业纷纷叫停。开工率高的企业凤毛麟角。
尽管DEA路线是国际市场上生产原料药的主要途径，但在国内仍首选甘氨酸路线；中国约 80% 的产能用于甘氨酸路线，而且这种情况可能会持续一段时间。
影响草甘膦发展的因素
抗草甘膦作物种植面积的增加、免耕种植技术以及化学除草的兴起推动了草甘膦的发展。最近，一些其他因素一直在影响消费，包括抗草甘膦杂草的出现和其他抗除草剂作物的种植。
一是抗草甘膦作物种植面积从2000年到2009年增加了约7510万公顷，年复合增长率为12.1%。未来几年，抗草甘膦作物种植面积增长率将保持在5%到2009年。 10%，为草甘膦的发展提供了足够的支持。
其次，自 1970 年代以来，免耕或最少耕作系统一直在迅速扩展和发展。这种趋势将继续推动草甘膦的消费。 2008 年，全球免耕面积达到 1.05 亿公顷，2002 年至 2008 年的复合年增长率为 2.4%。
Third, many countries are actively developing bio-energy, which directly boosts glyphosate development. Bio-energy has been used for years, but its development is restricted by the price of traditional energy, such as crude and coal. Entering the 21st century, the crude price keeps rising, which stimulates bio-energy development. Global output of bio-energy was about 80 billion liters in 2008, with major producers including the US, Brazil, EU and Canada, which constitute more than 90 percent of the world’s output. 粮农组织 预计2015年全球生物能源产量将达到1200亿升，较2008年增长5倍，复合年增长率为5.96%。
尽管在2008年底遭遇全球金融危机，但生物能源发展依然蓬勃发展。在巴西这个世界上生物乙醇生产成本最低的国家，原油低至$35/桶就被认为具有竞争力。由于金融危机导致利润率低，许多原油生产商减少甚至停产草甘膦。只有主要的石化公司，如 壳 继续建立新的生物能源项目，因为他们对生物能源的未来寄予厚望。
发展生物能源意味着粮食的大量消耗，生物能源的主要原料主要是农作物，意味着这些农作物的种植面积将相应扩大，从而带动草甘膦的消费。
Despite changes in the glyphosate market, the outlook for the next couple of years remains very positive. Prices are believed to have hit bottom, and capacity generated by low-tech companies has subsided without the profits enjoyed in 2007/08. Though there are some barriers, glyphosate will continue to grow because there is no good substitute for the active. And while resistance protocols advocate the judicious use of glyphosate under label recommendations, it is still a staple for weed management strategies. However, the growth rate will not be as high as before. According to CCM International’s research, the growth rate of global glyphosate will be less than 10 percent during the next decade.