The seed and grains market in France

The seeds market in France is a study of the economic activity related to the primary inputs of the agricultural sector, whose function is to sow crops.

Agricultural seeds and grains are consumable agri-supply products. There are several product categories in this market:

Agricultural seeds: there are many types of agricultural seeds, the most widespread being barley, soybean, millet, rice, legumes, corn, straw cereals (wheat and barley), sunflower, rapeseed, flax and cotton.

Vegetable seeds: segmented by vegetable type, these include cabbage, melon, corn, eggplant, bell pepper, lettuce, carrot, watermelon, onion and many others.

Seeds: there are different criteria for classifying seeds. Firstly, their water content (dry seeds or watery seeds), then the proportion and distribution of their tissues (seeds with perisperm, seeds with albumen or seeds without albumen or exalbuminous seeds), and finally their envelope(naked seeds, simple naked fruits, simple clothed fruits, compound fruits).

In 2022, France will benefit from almost 400,000 hectares of cultivation of these products. France is not only Europe's leading consumer market for seeds, but also the world's leading exporter: in recent years, France has exported an average of over 1.5 billion euros worth of seeds worldwide. By 2022 - 2023, its leading export customers will be European: Germany will account for 16% of total exports, Spain 10% and Poland 6.7%, closely followed by Italy (6.4%) and the Netherlands (4%).

The primary factor driving growth in the sector is the increase in the world's population, which is expected to reach almost 10 billion people by 2050. This means a constantly growing demand for agriculture and food production, and consequently for agricultural raw materials such as seeds and grains. The main market driver is therefore demographic growth, but there is also the need to adapt agricultural varieties to climate change. This is a strong argument in favor of seed companies, who are investing in R&D to adapt their offer.

In fact, this is what the world leader Vilmorin & Cie is doing , with the French company leading the market and investing 14.6% of its revenues in R&D in 2023. The seed subsidiary of the Limagrain cooperative has established itself as the world leader in vegetable seeds, even overtaking the giants Bayer-Monsanto and Syngenta. It has recently positioned itself in the fennel, lamb's lettuce, spinach, chard and radish markets, strategically targeting niches for growth.

In 2020, the Covid-19 epidemic had no significant impact on the sector, while the Russian-Ukrainian crisis underway since February 2022 has brought its share of bad news. In 2023, the two countries concerned accounted for around 7% of French seed company exports, compared with almost 12% in 2021.