Irrigation Controllers Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Product (Smart Controllers, Tap Timers, Basic Controllers), By Irrigation Type, By Application, By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2019 - 2025

Industry Insights

The global irrigation controllers market size was estimated at USD 770.6 million in 2018 and is expected to register a CAGR of 15.2% over the forecast period. The rising adoption of improved water use efficiencies coupled with the new generation of tech-savvy farmers looking for smart irrigation solutions to decrease water consumption is primarily expected to drive market growth.

Advancement in wireless technologies such as incorporating Wi-Fi or cloud-based systems in plant canopy and soil moisture sensors to receive real-time data on field conditions along with utilizing GPS for the movement tracking of central pivot or linear move machines is expected to surge the product demand over the coming years.

Globally, 70% of the freshwater acquired is used to irrigate 25% of the world’s cropland, which supplies approximately 45% of the food. Food and forage production has declined in regions experiencing increased frequency and duration of floods and drought. Increasing adoption of climate-smart agriculture solutions by the government to help small-scale farmers to maintain and improve water management is anticipated to boost the market growth.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has developed recommendations to help countries improve the sustainability of agriculture by developing cost-effective agricultural policies. The policies are anticipated to boost productivity and reduce environmental damage by incorporating proper irrigation solutions, which is expected to uplift the market growth over the next seven years.

Over the last three-decade, there has been a steady decline in the per capita freshwater availability from large dams in the major agricultural countries, and this trend is anticipated to continue over the long term. A large number of infrastructure projects such as the Wellington Dam Revival Project have been planned, which will drive the product demand over the coming years.

High debt, poor cash flow, reduced competitiveness, low investor confidence in the sector, and pressure on margins has weakened the ability of farmers to invest in the irrigation equipment as a result of fragmented structure of agribusiness with less than 20% of the companies to trust. This has reduced farmer’s ability to buy high tech productivity-enhancing tools resulting in hindering the market growth.

Product Insights

In terms of product segmentation, the market is categorized into smart controllers, tap timers, and basic controllers. Smart controllers remained a major segment contributing 64.2% of the overall market in terms of revenue in 2018 owing to the rising demand for digitalized user-friendly products, which can tailor watering schedules and automatically run times to meet specific agricultural requirements.

The tap timer segment is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 14.9% over the forecast period due to easy installation, water conservation, and user-friendly interface. Tap timers are available in mechanical, electrical, and digital forms, wherein mechanical tap timers do not require batteries and are configured manually; however, digital timers can be set based on different watering needs and seasons.

Unlike conventional controllers that operate on specific programmed timers and schedule, smart controllers monitor evaporation, soil conditions, plant water use, and whether to automatically adjust the watering schedules for better yields and cost savings. Also, smart irrigation controllers save up to 20% more water than the conventional systems resulting in an increased demand for the former.

Irrigation Type Insights

In terms of irrigation type segmentation, the market is categorized into sprinkler and drip irrigation. Sprinkler irrigation controllers are anticipated to contribute 42.9% of the revenue share in 2018 as they help in displacing water over large distances resulting in improving water consumption efficiency.

Drip irrigation segment is projected to witness a CAGR of 15.9% over the forecast period as they are highly suitable for the cultivation of food crops on account of their low cost and water consumption ability. Also, the rising demand for irrigation methods in lawns and sports grounds is stimulating the adoption of drip systems.

Sprinkler irrigation controllers are best suited for large and flat areas that require a substantial volume of water. However, drip irrigation systems are adequate for watering small areas that require a specific watering schedule. Besides, drip irrigation requires 30-50% less water in comparison to sprinklers resulting in surging the product demand over the forecast period.

Application Insights

In terms of application segmentation, the market is categorized into non-agriculture and agricultural fields and greenhouses. The product demand in the non-agricultural segment is projected to reach USD 384.1 million by 2025 due to the rise in the demand for turfs from the residential construction sector, which has been positively affected by the shift to high-density living coupled with an increase in the DIY household lawn market.

The demand for irrigation controllers in the agricultural segment is anticipated to witness a CAGR of 14.1% as the emerging economies practice agriculture at a large scale resulting in increasing the adoption of irrigation controllers in this region. Besides, the rising demand for ethanol has generated interest in using sugarcane as a raw material, which has further surged the irrigation controllers market growth over the forecast period.

The demand for the controllers in sports ground/golf courses is projected to reach USD 401.7 million by 2025 on account of the rising government initiatives on saving water through new technology and conservation efforts coupled with the increase in the number of participants for both on and off course golf fields.

Regional Insights

In the U.S., over 34 billion liters of water each day is used for landscape irrigation. More than half of this water is wasted due to overwatering because of the inefficiencies caused by traditional systems. Rising demand for fully digital systems that can alter run times and water schedules automatically to meet the landscape needs is anticipated to surge the market growth over the coming years.

According to the “The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2018” report, West Africa and India are likely to see agricultural production fall as they use 2-3 times more water than other major agrarian countries such as U.S., Brazil, and China. Rising government initiatives for creating awareness about drip irrigation and smart solutions is anticipated to increase the product demand over the forecast period.

The Integrated Modern Agriculture Development (IMAD) Project by the World Bank in China is expected to create awareness about the climate change agricultural practices coupled with the institutional support for improving irrigation systems in China. Also, an investment of $313.4 million is made to provide better infrastructure and new on-farm technologies resulting in strengthening the product demand over the next seven years.

Irrigation Controllers Market Share Insights

The market is highly fragmented at each product level, with a large number of small and medium enterprises holding a major share in the market. The trend is further strengthened by the increasing adoption of smart irrigation solutions among consumers, coupled with the rise in R&D spending to develop innovative products with low costs and a user-friendly interface.

Industry players rely highly on the dealership networks to distribute irrigation controllers to end-users in Europe and the Asia Pacific. Given the larger geographic coverage required in these areas, distributors can strengthen their regional presence by developing and maintaining a key relationship with customers resulting in high product sales.

Report Scope

Segments Covered in the report

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the industry trends in each of the sub-segments from 2014 to 2025. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the global irrigation controllers market report based on product, irrigation type, application, and region:

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

  • Smart Controllers

    • Weather-based Irrigation Controllers

    • Soil Moisture-based Controllers

  • Tap Timers

  • Basic Controllers

• Irrigation Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

  • Sprinkler Irrigation

  • Drip Irrigation

• Application Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

  • Non-Agriculture

    • Residential

    • Sports Grounds/Golf Courses

    • Others

  • Agricultural Fields and Greenhouses

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million; 2014 - 2025)

  • North America

    • The U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • France

    • Germany

    • Italy

    • Russia

    • Spain

    • UK

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

    • Australia

    • South Korea

  • Central & South America

    • Argentina

    • Brazil

  • Middle East & Africa

    • South Africa

    • Saudi Arabia