· Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan · Biostimulants & Specialty Fertilizers
On October 7, 2026, Asia’s leading agriculture and livestock exhibition – J-AGRI Tokyo (Agricultural Week) – opened at Makuhari Messe, Chiba. For the second consecutive year, MacroAlga returned to the show. A technology commercialization company built on research from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, MacroAlga presented a portfolio of five enzymatic biostimulant categories – from seaweed raw material to oligosaccharides, and from single components to compound formulations – each backed by a clear enzymatic process route and verifiable test data. Over the three days, the booth welcomed a steady stream of trade visitors from Japan and Southeast Asia, and several follow-up cooperation intentions were formed.
Exhibition Background: The 16th Tokyo Edition, Japan’s Largest Agri-Tech Gathering
Now in its 16th Tokyo edition, J-AGRI 2026 brought together roughly 1,000 exhibitors and more than 2,500 products, including concurrent shows, across six specialized segments – from agricultural technology and inputs to processing, livestock and green solutions.
The previous Tokyo edition attracted 36,617 trade visitors and 851 exhibitors, of which 216 came from overseas, according to organizer figures.
As Japan’s largest professional exhibition for agriculture and livestock, the show primarily attracts farmers, agricultural cooperatives, input distributors and trading houses, importers, and research institutions from Japan and Southeast Asia, serving as a key channel for market expansion in East Asia.
Product Portfolio: Five Enzymatic Biostimulant Categories
Building on last year’s debut, the 2026 line-up presented five product categories spanning the full range of agricultural input applications. Alongside the products themselves, the team also set out their enzymatic process characteristics and key specifications:
- Seaweed Extracts – the KEYO series uses fresh Laminaria japonica and South African Ecklonia maxima, with only alginate lyase and cellulase dosed during hydrolysis – and no other chemical inputs. One tonne of fresh kelp yields one tonne of enzymatic seaweed liquid with an alginate oligosaccharide concentration of 25 g/L. Natural auxins, cytokinins and betaine are retained intact – the key difference between the enzymatic route and alkaline hydrolysis.
- Fertilizer Efficiency Enhancers (AOS / COS) – AOS is produced by direct enzymatic hydrolysis of food-grade sodium alginate. Enzymatic cleavage creates an unsaturated double bond in the sugar chain, the fundamental reason for its biological activity; the product is predominantly DP2–4, placing it in the high-activity window in which oligosaccharides of fewer than five sugar units are known to perform best. MacroAlga’s COS has an average molecular weight of 773 Da and works at doses as low as 10–50 ppm, improving fertilizer use efficiency and nutrient uptake.
- Seaweed-based Ca-Mg Solution – enzymatic brown seaweed liquor clarified by ceramic membrane filtration serves as the mother liquor, chelating Ca2+ and Mg2+ through the carboxyl and other active groups inherent in seaweed polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, without synthetic chelating agents such as EDTA. Highly soluble and resistant to sedimentation, it is compatible with most foliar and fertigation programs, targeting physiological disorders such as fruit cracking, bitter pit and blossom-end rot.
- Chicken Peptide Series – small peptides produced by enzymatic hydrolysis and bio-fermentation, concentrated below 1,000 Da with a high small-peptide fraction and rapid absorption, used for root development and crop nutrition.
- Customized Solutions – multi-functional compound formulations tailored for Japanese tea gardens, orchards and rice cultivation, with alginic acid content, organic matter content and medium- and trace-element content – as well as pH and packaging – adjustable to the customer’s own formulation. On-site sample trials are available.
On-Site Engagement: Deeper Conversations with Japan’s Trade and Distribution Sector
Compared with 2025, a clear shift was visible in the topics raised. Visitors no longer asked what biostimulants are; they came with specific requests – fertilizer efficiency enhancers, chelated calcium and magnesium, and tailored compound formulations – and discussed formulation, blending ratios and compliance positions directly.
Over the three days, the team held in-depth technical discussions with fertilizer and calcium material manufacturers, organic fertilizer raw material trading houses and agricultural management consultancies. Among the visitors were representatives of Japan’s leading general trading houses, including Sumitomo Corporation and Mitsubishi Corporation, with whom discussions focused on the supply of biostimulant raw materials and fertilizer efficiency ingredients for the Japanese market. Product efficacy was demonstrated through comparative data on stress resistance, root development and crop quality, and sample requests were taken on site.
One unexpected gain: at the show MacroAlga also formed preliminary intentions for cooperation on specialty fertilizers with several leading Chinese pesticide exporters exhibiting in Japan. These companies bring well-established overseas channels and registration resources, while MacroAlga contributes its enzymatic technology and differentiated products – a strong complementarity in specialty fertilizer portfolios and overseas market development that could open up broader international opportunities together.
As a representative biostimulant company, MacroAlga was also invited by the organizer for an official live-stream interview during the show. In the broadcast, the team introduced the company’s enzymatic technology platform, the application of alginate oligosaccharide and chitosan oligosaccharide as fertilizer efficiency enhancers, and its plans for the Japanese and Southeast Asian markets – reaching an online audience far beyond the exhibition hall.
Post-Show Follow-Up: From the Booth to Customers’ Stores and Fields
After the exhibition, MacroAlga was invited to visit customers in Japan, touring their agricultural input stores and farms to see how local inputs are sold and distributed, which crops are grown, and what fertilizer requirements they actually have – first-hand information that will inform product positioning and formulation adjustments.
Meanwhile, several of the customers met at the show have scheduled a visit to MacroAlga’s production plant in Gaomi, Shandong Province, at the end of October, to examine production processes, quality control and supply capacity first-hand ahead of the next stage of cooperation. From going out to meet the market to welcoming customers in, the follow-up effects of this year’s exhibition are still unfolding.
Top 3 Biostimulant Products at J-AGRI Tokyo 2026
Qingdao MacroAlga would like to thank every visitor and partner who stopped by the booth during J-AGRI Tokyo 2026. Samples and technical specifications (with COA) are available for evaluation. For cooperation in Japan and Southeast Asia, please contact us at 【email】 or visit www.macroalga.com.
