What JCAM Agri does

JCAM Agri Co., Ltd. is a Japanese specialty fertilizer manufacturer founded on October 1, 2009 through the merger of Chisso Asahi Fertilizer Corporation and Mitsubishi Chemical Agri Corporation, with roots tracing to 1908. The company develops, manufactures, and sells controlled-release coated fertilizers and related agricultural inputs, holding the top domestic market share in coated fertilizers in Japan. Its product portfolio spans coated nitrogen fertilizers (LP Coat/M Coat, Long/Ecolong, IBDU/Super IB/Good IB), coated compound fertilizers, paddy rice seedling box fertilizers (Naebako Makase), microbially-degradable slow-release fertilizers (CDU/Hyper CDU), the biofertilizer Organamin, and turf management products under its Green Business line. Internationally, it markets export brands Nutricote and MEISTER to growers in North America, Europe, China, and Southeast Asia via general trading company partnerships and a Taiwan manufacturing base.

The company's core technical platform is proprietary resin coating technology that enables precise control of fertilizer nutrient release from 20 to 700 days, with both linear and sigmoid release patterns that can be tuned to crop growth stages. Its Nutricote 18-6-8 T180 product was selected by NASA for lettuce cultivation on the International Space Station, providing third-party validation of coating quality. The company is actively investing in environmentally-conscious coating technology, having launched the J-Coat product (plastic content reduced to approximately 3%) in September 2024 and continuing R&D on biodegradable and plastic-free coating solutions. Internal R&D is conducted at the Fertilizer Research Institute in Fuji City.

JCAM Agri operates six manufacturing plants (Onahama, Fuji, Mizushima, Tobata, Kurosaki, Minamata) and a national sales branch network covering Hokkaido, Tohoku, Kanto, Chubu, West Japan, and Kyushu. The company is majority-owned by JNC Corporation (44.00%), with Asahi Kasei Corporation (22.75%) and JA Zen-Noh (20.00%) as significant shareholders; the JA ownership aligns commercial and distribution interests. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time product sales via direct sales to JA cooperatives and farmers domestically, with international sales conducted through trading company channels. Specific revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; the company publishes IFRS consolidated financial results with its most recent disclosed year ended March 31, 2024.

Name

JCAM Agri

Legal name

JCAM AGRI CO., LTD.

Website

https://jcam-agri.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

JCAM Agri Co., Ltd. is a Japanese specialty fertilizer manufacturer and the domestic market leader in controlled-release coated fertilizers, serving Japanese agricultural cooperatives, individual farmers, and international growers through proprietary resin coating technology spanning 20-700 day release profiles.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Fertilizers

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531)

SIC

Agricultural Chemicals (2870)

akta.pro primary industry

Controlled-Release & Stabilized Fertilizers (Inhibitors/Coatings) (IMAEAEAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

NPK & Compound/Blended Fertilizers (IMAEAEAD), Biostimulant-Enhanced Fertilizers (Humic/Fulvic, Amino Acids, Seaweed Blends) (AFABACAK), Soil Health Activators & Biostimulants (Humates, Amino Acids, Seaweed Extracts) (AFABAKAJ)

Keywords

• Controlled-release fertilizers
• Coated nitrogen fertilizers
• Agricultural specialty fertilizers
• Fertilizer manufacturing
• Biofertilizers

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Fertilizer Manufacturing and Sales: Core revenue from development, manufacture, and sale of coated fertilizers and other chemical fertilizers for agricultural use. Products include coated nitrogen fertilizers, coated compound fertilizers, paddy rice seedling box full-base fertilizers, chemically synthesized slow-release nitrogen fertilizers, soil fertilizers, chemical fertilizers, compound fertilizers, and culture media for both domestic Japanese market and export overseas markets.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

JCAM Agri develops, manufactures, and sells specialty coated (controlled-release) fertilizers, microbially degradable slow-release nitrogen fertilizers, and biofertilizers for agriculture, horticulture, and turf management. Its core offering centers on resin-coated fertilizers (LP Coat/M Coat, J-Coat, Long/Ecolong, NUTRICOTE, MEISTER) that precisely control nutrient release timing from 20 to 700 days to match crop growth stages, plus soil-condition improvers like CDU/Hyper CDU and amino-acid-based Organamin biofertilizer. Products are sold domestically through agricultural cooperatives (JA) and overseas via trading-company partners.

Product overview

JCAM Agri is a leading manufacturer of coated (controlled-release) fertilizers in Japan, offering a comprehensive portfolio of specialty fertilizers. The core product line consists of coating fertilizers including LP Coat/M Coat, J Coat, Long/Ecolong, and various slow-release nitrogen fertilizers like CDU/Hyper CDU and IBDU variants. These products control nutrient release timing (20-700 days) to match crop growth stages, improving fertilizer efficiency and reducing application frequency. The company serves domestic farmers (wet-land rice, wheat, vegetables, fruit trees, flowers, tea) and international markets with export brands including NUTRICOTE (used by NASA on ISS), MEISTER, and MEISTER MX. Green Business products serve golf courses and turf applications. The technology platform centers on resin coating and microbially degradable technologies to achieve controlled-release and environmentally-conscious fertilizer solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nutricote: Controlled release fertilizer exported internationally, known for high quality and use in space station cultivation by NASA
• J-Coat
• LP Coat / M Coat
• Long / Ecolong
• CDU / Hyper CDU
• IBDU
• MEISTER
• Organamin

Products and services

• LP Coat / M Coat LP-type coated nitrogen fertilizers providing controlled nutrient release for various crop applications. LP Coat and M Coat are designed for different release profiles to match crop growth stages in domestic Japanese agriculture.
• J Coat Next-generation environmentally-conscious coating fertilizer with plastic content reduced to approximately 3% and enhanced coating shell degradation, designed to minimize environmental impact from residual coating materials left in fields.
• Long / Ecolong Resin-coated compound fertilizers providing controlled-release nutrient delivery for extended feeding periods. Long and Ecolong are domestic brand names for slow-release fertilizers tailored to Japanese crop cultivation cycles.
• Naebako Makase (苗箱まかせ) All-in-one fertilizer for rice seedling boxes (Naebako Makase), enabling labor-saving single application at planting. Designed for Japanese paddy rice farmers seeking to reduce manual fertilizer application steps.
• CDU / Hyper CDU Acetaldehyde condensed urea fertilizer degraded by soil microorganisms. Features soil-improving properties through proliferation of beneficial bacteria and actinomycetes. Hyper CDU combines CDU with leaching inhibitors and decomposition accelerators in three fertilizer efficacy types (short 30–60 days, medium 60–90 days, long 90–140 days) plus fine granule variants.
• IBDU / Super IB / Good IB Isobutylidene diurea-based slow-release nitrogen fertilizers (IBDU, Super IB, Good IB) providing controlled nutrient supply without plastic coating for domestic agricultural applications.
• Linster Coated fertilizer product line for domestic agricultural applications. Linster is part of JCAM Agri's portfolio of coated fertilizers serving Japanese farmers.
• Yosaku (与作) Brand name for coated fertilizer products serving the domestic Japanese market. Yosaku is part of JCAM Agri's coated fertilizer lineup for Japanese crop cultivation.
• NUTRICOTE Premium resin-coated fertilizer brand for overseas export markets. Features smooth uniform coating with no breaks or cracks, 40–360 day elution periods at 25°C, and high crop safety with no salt build-up. Used by NASA for vegetable cultivation on the International Space Station.
• MEISTER / MEISTER MX Premium coated fertilizer product lines (MEISTER and MEISTER MX) for international agricultural markets, including overseas business distribution channels.
• High Control Controlled-release fertilizer product for golf courses, sports turf, and professional green spaces, sold through JCAM Agri's dedicated Green Business Office channel.
• Birdie Rush / Green Base Surfactant-containing foliar spray powder fertilizers for golf course turfgrass. Birdie Rush contains sugar ester for uniform application; Green Base uses slow-release CDU nitrogen for long-lasting green color. Sold through the Green Business Office channel.
• Organamin Biofertilizer containing natural amino acids made by fermenting whole fish, used for strengthening tree vigor, improving fruit tension, increasing sugar content, and reducing overripe fruit in fruit tree and specialty crop cultivation.
• Nitrate-based Compound Fertilizers Nitric Anhydrous Phosphorus (Majolica Blue), Nitric Ammonium Phosphate (Yellow), Nitric Anne NK204, NP25, Birdie Turf, and Birdie Leaf products for specialized agricultural and turf applications.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fertilizer application frequency reduced through controlled-release technology
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered key partner and core.

• National Federation of Agricultural Cooperative Associations (JA Zen-Noh)key partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMajor shareholder holding 20.00% stake. Primary distribution channel for reaching Japanese farmers through the JA cooperative network.
• General Trading Companieskey partnerChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOverseas sales conducted through partnerships with general trading companies who distribute JCAM Agri fertilizers through local distributors in North America, Europe, United States, China, and Southeast Asia.
• Agricultural Experiment StationscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with agricultural experiment stations for data collection to design fertilizers suited to local climate and crop conditions. Important for developing region-specific fertilizer formulations for overseas markets.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• ICL Group: Global specialty fertilizers and plant nutrition player with controlled-release products (e.g., Osmocote) and a broad micronutrient portfolio. Closely comparable as a multi-region specialty fertilizer manufacturer with adjacent technologies.
• Koch Agronomic Services: Provider of enhanced-efficiency fertilizers including controlled-release and stabilized nitrogen products (e.g., Koch's polymer-coated offerings). Comparable to JCAM in slow-release technology platform serving broad-acre agriculture.
• Haifa Group: Israel-based specialty plant nutrition company with a strong controlled-release fertilizer portfolio (e.g., Multicote) serving horticulture, turf, and agriculture globally. Directly comparable to JCAM Agri in controlled-release technology and specialty crop focus.
• Compo Expert: Specialty fertilizer company focused on professional horticulture, turf, and agriculture with a leading controlled-release fertilizer line (e.g., Basacote, Floranid). Direct peer in coated/slow-release fertilizer technology and professional grower customer base.
• Kingenta: China-based specialty fertilizer manufacturer with a major controlled-release fertilizer business across Asia. Comparable geographic and product overlap with JCAM's Asian and export segments.

Broad incumbents

• Nutrien: Global crop nutrition and retail agribusiness major combining potash, nitrogen, phosphate, and specialty product lines. Touches JCAM's end markets through specialty fertilizer and turf/horticulture adjacencies.
• Yara International: One of the world's largest fertilizer producers with diversified nitrogen, specialty, and crop nutrition offerings. Overlaps with JCAM in specialty crop nutrition and Japanese/Asian market presence but operates at vastly broader scale.
• Mosaic Company: One of the world's largest crop nutrient companies focused on phosphate and potash, with growing specialty fertilizer exposure. Adjacent competitor to JCAM through global fertilizer distribution and ag-input retail channels.
• SQM (Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile): Global specialty plant nutrition company with strong specialty fertilizer and iodine/lithium businesses. Comparable in specialty crop nutrition focus and export-driven franchise.

Regional players

• OCI Global: Nitrogen and methanol producer with distribution into agricultural fertilizers. Comparable as a fertilizer producer but primarily a regional/international nitrogen player rather than specialty controlled-release focused.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jcam-agri-co-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about JCAM Agri