1.1 Definition and presentation

The vegetable seed market in France is a sector of the agricultural industry that studies the economic activity related to vegetable seeds. It is segmented by type of vegetable: among them are cabbage, melon, corn, eggplant, bell pepper, lettuce, carrot, watermelon, onion, and many others.

The global seed market has been estimated at over $40 billion by 2020. It is dominated by field seeds (86.3%), while vegetable seeds account for 1§.95% of the world market.

The French vegetable seed market is an important one: France has been exporting over 1.5 billion euros worth of seeds worldwide on average in recent years, and the sector makes a significant contribution to the country's balance of trade. By 2021, its top three export customers will be European: spain accounted for 19% of total exports, Italy 16%, the Netherlands 12%, and the top three were followed in fourth and fifth place by Mexico (5%) and Morocco (4%).

As a result, France is not only the world's leading export market, but also Europe's largest consumer of seeds.

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. The main market driver is therefore demographic growth, but we can also cite the adaptation of 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.

The most powerful player on the market is France's Vilmorin & Cie, the seed subsidiary of the Limagrain cooperative. The company has established itself as the world leader in vegetable seeds, surpassing even 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.

1.2 The global market

The global vegetable seed market has been estimated by Fortunebusinessinsights at $*.** billion in ****. According to Fortunebusinessinsights, this market should reach $*.** billion in ****, with an average annual growth rate of *.**% between **** and ****.

evolution of vegetable seed market size Worldwide, ****-****, in billions of dollars Source: ****

1.3 The domestic market

For several years now, the vegetable seed market seems to have been relatively stable. In fact, according to data from the Groupement national interprofessionnel des semences et plants (***), the market has been fairly stable over the past * years, with sales rising from *** million euros in ****/**** to *** million euros in ****/****, representing a ...

1.4 Foreign trade

In order to study French foreign trade in vegetable seeds, we will look at data relating to customs code ****, which covers: "Seeds, fruits and spores for sowing (***)"

evolution of exports of seeds, fruits and spores for sowing France, ****-****, in millions of euros Source: ****

The graph above shows that exports of ...

2.1 The French and demand for seeds

In October ****, the Kantar institute carried out a survey on the French and their vegetable gardens. This study reveals some highly relevant information about French demand for vegetable seeds. We learn, for example, that **% of French people surveyed use seeds for their vegetable garden, and that **% of them use seedlings.

The ...

2.2 Origin and place of purchase of seeds

The most popular way to buy seeds, according to the graph below, is in physical stores, with **% of respondents saying they go there "frequently ".Online purchasing is the least popular, with only **% of respondents using it, of which only *% frequently. It's interesting to note that many respondents save seeds or barter ...

2.3 Purchase frequency

Most survey respondents purchase their seeds and seedlings just before sowing/planting. However, some are forward-thinking, with **% buying at least a month before sowing/planting.

French people's seed and seedling purchasing period France, ****, in Source: ****

However, many respondents claim to buy seedlings during the season. In fact, **% of them use this ...

2.4 Organic and hybrid seeds: very little popularity

Organic and hybrid seeds are experiencing a cruel lack of popularity among the French population. Whether due to lack of information, price or mistrust, this type of seed does not meet with unanimous approval. First of all, we need to define what these seeds are:

Organic seeds: Organic seeds are seeds ...

2.5 What the French think of different florist chains

What the French think of different florist chains France, ****, in Source: ****

The graph reveals one particular feature of the French people's view of florists: with the exception of Interflora, most survey respondents are unaware of the brands on offer. Considering the number of consumers, it would seem strange that this should ...

3.1 Value chain

The seeds and planting materials sector includes all private companies involved in the genetic improvement of cultivated plants and their distribution, from the creation of varieties to their use, via their development and marketing.ation of varieties to their use, via their development and marketing, as well as all seed farmer-multipliers ...

3.2 Market forces and players

SEMAE provides information on the strengths of the various businesses, with a focus on each sector, including vegetable seeds.

number of companies in the vegetable and flower seeds market, by role France, ****-****, in units Source: ****

The graphs above and below show data for breeders, producers and distributors of vegetable and ...

3.3 Vegetable seed research

An important part of the industry is research. The classic research approach is to improve certain characteristics of different seed species (***). This is a reductionist strategy that seeks to satisfy a precise need by selecting specific genes.it should be noted that, in the best of cases, it takes six years ...

3.4 Farm size and production

Surface area trends (***)

Standard seeds :

Source: ****

Certified seeds and seedlings :

Source: ****

The above tables show that the area cultivated to produce seeds has not grown steadily over the past five years. After a *.*% drop in the total area farmed between **** and ****, the latter has started to rise again, with a notable ...

4.1 Vegetable seed supply

In order to give some examples of the seeds on offer, we will list in the table below what appears on the Jardiland website when you search for "vegetable seeds":

Source: ****

4.2 Price trends

change in the purchase price index for vegetable, flower and textile seeds France, ****-*****, base *** in **** Source: ****

As can be seen from the graph above, purchase prices for vegetable, flower and textile seeds are constantly evolving. They rose by **.*% between **** and ****. The first few months of **** show a more than notable ...

4.3 Changing costs for producers

The table below lists the various costs faced by vegetable seed growers:

Source: ****

These costs evolve over time, and the FNAMS keeps us informed of these changes. Unfortunately, there are no data more recent than ****. First of all, we can observe that labor costs seem to be increasing with a certain ...

5.1 Regulations

Seed varieties must be registered in official EU and French catalogs

In order to market seed or seedlings of species listed at European and French level, varieties must be registered in official French or European catalogs of species and varieties. European catalogs (***) include national catalogs and therefore list all varieties authorized ...