Crops are constantly exposed to pests and other external agents such as fungi, animals or insects that deteriorate them and can cause large losses to farmers.
Besides, plants sometimes have nutrient deficiencies because of certain soil conditions or climate that need to be counteracted with an additional contribution.
With such a background, the need to use agrochemicals arises. These products have become essential to get better production, higher crop yields, more protection against external agents and diseases that deteriorate them and, ultimately, to ensure their good condition when it comes to marketing and consuming their fruits.
In short, agrochemicals are responsible for preventing a decrease of between 30% and 40% in plant production worldwide each year.
But these chemicals have peculiarities that make not any packaging suitable for them.
Agrochemicals require specific storage, transport and handling conditions within prepared packaging. All agrochemical warehouses must meet safety requirements. In addition, they should be kept away from contaminating water or land, and should be stored vertically with the closure facing up, even if they have already been opened. Besides, their labels must include information on phone numbers and procedures for acting in an emergency.
They must be transported in plastic containers specifically made for agrochemicals with secure closures and resistant enough. They should never be transported outside the original packaging, which is specifically prepared for such products. In addition, they will also have to be placed in the same storage position, vertically, with the closure facing up and always avoiding their exposure to rain or sun.
In the case of handling agrochemicals, it is important to have always the right equipment, make all mixtures in places away from any water source and ensure that the containers are always closed when not in use.
Taking into account all the requirements of these products both for their storage and for their transport and handling, it is worth highlighting the importance of plastic packaging for agrochemicals throughout the process.
These containers are prepared to house aggressive chemicals without deteriorating, withstand certain temperatures, pressure, etc., and ultimately allow them to be stored, transported and handled safely.
Characteristics of the agrochemical packaging
Plastic packaging for agrochemicals is prepared to carry those most aggressive substances. They are light and easy to handle, but solid and resistant enough to withstand contact with gases and chemical reactions without collapsing.
To be efficient, plastic packaging for agrochemicals must be able to contain the product, protect it, keep it and communicate to the consumer all important information.
As for containing the product, they must be resistant in order to transport the products from the place of production to their place of sale to the public without suffering from paneling.
In addition, plastic packaging for agrochemicals serves the function of protecting products from external agents such as light, gases, insects, moisture, etc., which could damage them. These containers must also be able to keep the product throughout the process so that it reaches the consumer while maintaining all its properties.
The last of the functions of these packaging is to communicate to the final consumer all the information relating to both the packaging and the content. They should contain information such as weight, the product it contains, emergency telephones, approval codes, etc.
To achieve all this, it is important that plastic packaging for agrochemicals is made with materials whose properties fulfill these functions without problems, and the choice of one type of plastic or another will depend mainly on the product and the conditions of the product.
Recycling of agrochemical packaging
Recycling plastic packaging for agrochemicals is a problem that has been of concern to the sector for years. But it is not the packaging itself that is the main actor in this concern, but rather its final use.
These containers, containing highly polluting substances, are not ordinary containers that can be recycled in the same mechanical way as many others.
In the case of plastic packaging for agrochemicals, the role of the end user is essential. He is bound to rinse the container several times with water, drill both the bottom and lid of the container to avoid reuse, and deposit it at specific points for collection.
As part of the commitment to the sustainability of packaging, there are programs to collect, recycle and prevent them from ending up in places where they can pollute land or water, so farmers' awareness of how dangerous their misuse is, is vital.
Plastic packaging for agrochemicals cannot be reused for other purposes, so it must be treated in a plant where they can be decontaminated, and the difficulty in controlling the end of each of them has made this one of the main problems in the sector.
Types of packaging for agrochemicals
At Alcion Packaging Solutions we have years of experience in the production of the agrochemical plastic packaging industry, and we know that choosing the right packaging is the key to avoiding the material, personal or economic damage these products can cause with the wrong packaging.
We sell bottles with capacities from 15 ml to 1 liter, and 5L and 10L jerrycans. We manufacture our packaging following the needs of each customer's product with technology such as multilayer coextrusion or plasma fluorination, getting containers with barrier properties, resistant and durable and, above all, environmentally friendly throughout the process.
