Spring Planting Season Drives Greenhouse Film Market: Environmental and Technological Upgrades Reshape Industry

As March ushers in spring planting, China’s greenhouse film industry enters its peak production and sales season. Regional producers in North and Northwest China operate at 60–80% capacity, with mainstream double-layer anti-fog films priced at 9,800–10,200 RMB/ton (US$1,400–1,460) and mulch films at 9,000–9,200 RMB/ton. Post-holiday price adjustments have stabilized, supported by balanced supply-demand dynamics. Polyethylene (PE), the key raw material, sees tight LDPE due to refinery maintenance (e.g., Yanshan Petrochemical), while new PE capacity (2.4892 million tons output in February 2025) and delayed imports maintain short-term market equilibrium.

Environmental Policies Force Green Transition

China’s "No. 1 Central Document" bans non-standard mulch films and promotes thicker, biodegradable alternatives, accelerating green transformation. High-end functional films (e.g., anti-condensation, light-diffusing) account for <5% of the market, with cost-sensitive farmers still favoring mid-low end products. Pilot programs in Xinjiang and Gansu test biodegradable mulch films and recycling systems. Technological breakthroughs include multi-layer co-extrusion, variable-color light-regulation, and sulfur-chlorine resistant films, achieving 85% tensile strength retention after 2,200 hours of UV exposure and 10–20% crop yield increases via optimized light quality.

Regional Market Differentiation

North and Northeast China focus on greenhouse films for staggered cropping systems (e.g., scallion-melon-pepper rotations), generating over 200,000 RMB/acre in annual output value. Northwest China prioritizes mulch film demand for spring sowing. National greenhouse film production rose 1.19% YoY to 406,000 tons in H1 2024, with the global market projected to reach US$1.43 billion by 2029 (3.8% CAGR).

Outlook: Structural Opportunities Amid Supply-Demand Balance

Short-term: Spring demand pushes capacity utilization to annual highs, with raw material costs and oversupply limiting price hikes. Long-term: Environmental policies drive industry consolidation, prioritizing biodegradable and functional films. The market is expected to grow at a 7.6% CAGR in 2025, requiring enterprises to balance R&D investment (e.g., smart films) with cost control amid green and intelligent trends.

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Key Trends: Spring demand, raw material fluctuations, environmental regulations, technological innovation, regional differentiation
Data Points: Capacity utilization 60–80%, PE output 2.4892 million tons, high-end film share <5%
Projections: Stable short-term prices, long-term green/functional upgrades

(Note: Content focuses on industry trends and policy drivers, omitting company-specific references while maintaining technical accuracy and regional context. Terms like "No. 1 Central Document" and technical metrics (e.g., UV resistance) are translated for global readability.)