Crop Science Market

Market consolidation, increasing regulation and sustainability are creating significant changes for crop protection and seed companies. Shape your commercial strategy using our proprietary data, in-depth market analysis, long-term forecasts and analyst expertise.

Key facts about the global crop science market

• The global crop protection market is estimated to have increased by 9.9% in 2022 to reach $78.7 billion. Herbicides dominate (~47%) the crop sector, followed by fungicides and insecticides (both approximately ~25%). Although growing fast, biological crop protection products equate to less than 5% of this total and so are still a relatively niche segment of the market.
• In 2021, the market for commercial seeds grew by 7.1% over 2020, reaching an estimated value of $47,242 million. Of this total GM seed sales increased by 11.6% to reach approximately $21.8 billion. Stacked traits, incorporating herbicide tolerance and insect resistance genes total approximately 58% of the GM total. In addition, gene-editing systems, specifically CRISPR, have been recognised as breakthrough technologies in agriculture.
• Investors are increasingly applying ESG factors as part of their analysis process to identify risks and opportunities. Investment is growing towards sectors such as biologicals and digital agriculture practices which are deemed to have a more favourable environmental footprint.
• Increasingly stringent regulation is impacting growth for established products and increasing the cost of innovation. 40% of the top 20 molecules from a global value perspective are under intense legal and/or regulatory scrutiny, most notably glyphosate, the leading active ingredient on a value basis.
• Unlike many other sectors of the global economy, crop inputs experienced little impact from the COVID-19 pandemic given the essential nature of food production. Some minor, yet significant, hurdles include reduced availability of domestic and migrant farm labour, issues surrounding delays of shipments in ports, reduced cotton consumption in the textile industry, lower consumption of certain vegetables with the closing of the hospitality sector and reduced demand for biofuels.

Market Intelligence

It can be difficult to predict the impact of market developments and gain a definitive view of the industry. Our robust global market data and long-term forecasts provide this, allowing you to make informed data-driven decisions, mitigate risk and implement effective strategy changes.

Product Development

Pressure to innovate, identify licensing opportunities and develop new compounds can be mitigated by tracking competitor R&D activities, analysing patent information, and aligning development to emerging areas with the greatest impact to your business.

Regulatory

Tracking the latest legal and policy developments across multiple sources can be time-consuming. Stay abreast of regulatory changes and react with confidence utilizing our news and market insight, special reports and consultancy services.