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Summary of our market study
The French vegetable seed market is estimated at between €750 and €760 million.
The world's population continues to grow, reaching 10 billion by 2050, and demand for food production is predictably increasing. The world market for vegetable seeds is estimated at $7.17 billion in 2021, with a growth rate of 6.78% from 2021 to 2028.
The French market is relatively stable at 755 million euros in 2020/2021.
France is one of Europe's leading exporters of vegetable seeds. Spain, Italy and the Netherlands are the main importers.
The market is driven by population growth and the need to adapt agriculture to climate change. French exports of seeds, fruits and spores rose by 33.9% in 2021.
The sector is underpinned by substantial investment in research, with funding of 105 million euros in 2021. Employment in research has risen by 58% in 2021.
The French market shows a preference for conventional commercial seeds. A large proportion of the population use seeds from their own gardens for reseeding.
Organic and hybrid seeds encounter adoption difficulties, mainly due to lack of information and perception of costs and benefits.
The market is highly regulated: seeds must be listed in official catalogs, certified for commercial sale, and comply with production and marketing rules.
French market trends
France is a major producer and consumer of seeds.
Nearly three-quarters of French people use seeds for their gardens.
Purchased seeds are the most widely used, while seeds harvested for resowing account for 25%.
Among the different types of vegetable, green beans come out on top. 87% of green bean growers and 38% of tomato growers use seeds exclusively.
The majority of French seed buyers make their purchases on the eve of sowing. Garden centers and farm stores are frequented by 90% of seed buyers. Only a small percentage buy online.
Organic and hybrid seeds are still little used. 85% do not opt for organic seeds, price and lack of information being the main deterrents. Hybrid seeds face a similar situation, with 98% of survey participants turning away from them, mainly due to a lack of understanding.
Among the main players,
- Vilmorin & Cie is the market leader, not only nationally, but also worldwide. As the seed subsidiary of the Limagrain cooperative, Vilmorin & Cie has successfully positioned itself against global giants such as Bayer-Monsanto and Syngenta. Vilmorin & Cie is present on the niche markets of fennel, lamb's lettuce, spinach, chard and radish.
- The Groupement national interprofessionnel des semences et plants(SEMAE), which supports the sector by providing essential data and market information, thus facilitating informed decision-making and growth, joins the upper echelon.
- In terms of research and development, the Groupe d'étude et de contrôle des variétés et des semences (GEVES) oversees DUS and VATE testing for new varieties before they are put on the market.
- The Fédération Nationale des Agriculteurs Multiplicateurs de Semences (FNAMS) closely follows the interests of seed producers, thus completing the spectrum of key players in the French vegetable seed industry.
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Summary and extracts
1 Market overview
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 Demand analysis
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 Market structure
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 Offer analysis
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 Regulations
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 ...
6 Positioning the players
6.1 Segmentation
- Truffaut
- Mr. Bricolage
- Castorama France (Kingfisher)
- Leroy Merlin France (Adeo)
- VillaVerde
- Delbard (Teract groupe)
- Carrefour Groupe
- Intermarché ITM Les Mousquetaires
- Graines Voltz
- Limagrain Ingrédients
- Les Pépinières Bravard
- Deleplanque
- Vilmorin (Groupe Limagrain)
- Florimond Desprez
- HM Clause France
List of charts presented in this market study
- Trends in vegetable seed market size
- Sales trends in the vegetable and flower seeds market (excluding vegetable and flower seedlings)
- Total sales in the seed industry
- Export of seeds, fruits and spores for sowing
- Main countries importing French seeds, fruits and spores for sowing
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Latest news
Intermarché, Auchan and Casino launch central purchasing group with Aura Retail - 25/09/2024
- 1. Completion of an alliance initially announced in April with a planned ten-year term between Intermarché, Auchan, and Casino (including Monoprix, Franprix), which are respectively France's 3rd, 5th and 7th largest food retailers.
- 2. Aura Retail will be organized into five separate entities, two of which will be based outside France. Main activities include the management of three central purchasing units for foodstuffs, run by Intermarché, with two locations in Massy.
- 3. One will operate synergies for nearly 200 national brand manufacturers, and another will aim to improve market access for European food manufacturers.
- 4. Aura Retail International Food Services, based in Brussels, will negotiate with major multinational industrial groups and offer synergies in several European countries (Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Romania and Hungary).
- 5. Purchases of national-brand non-food products will be managed by entities run by Auchan, including Aura Retail Achats Non Alimentaires based in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, and Aura Retail International Non-Food Services located in Luxembourg.
- 6. France's 4th-largest retailer, Coopérative U, wished to withdraw from the Everest European center, but had no official comment.
Leroy Merlin stores in Russia to be rebranded Lemana Pro - 28/06/2024
- - Start of Leroy Merlin withdrawal process in Russia: March 2023.
- - Number of Leroy Merlin stores in Russia before the changeover: 113.
- - Number of current stores before the changeover: 112.
- - Number of employees affected: 45,000.
- - Sales before start of withdrawal: Approx. 5 billion euros.
Agromousquetaires: how Intermarché plans to sharpen its industrial focus - 27/06/2024
- - 4.7 billion euros: industrial sales in 2023
- - 54 plants.
- - 20 logistics sites.
- - 11,000 employees.
- - 40% of Intermarché and Netto private labels are manufactured by Agromousquetaires plants.
- - 15,000 agricultural partners.
- - 200 sailors and 15 ships.
- - 12 supply chains, including beef, processed products, pork, charcuterie, milk, and more.
Food: Intermarché turns its 56 plants to fresh produce and vegetables - 10/06/2024
- Agromousquetaires is France's fourth or fifth-largest agrifood group, focusing on beef and pork with its slaughterhouses.
- 56 plants and sales of 4.7 billion euros, up 7% year-on-year,
- The group owns the last French diaper factory.
- The industrial division produces 75% for Intermarché's own brands (Monique Ranou charcuterie, Jean Rozé meat, Pâturages dairy products, etc.).
- The fishing fleet, the largest in France with 15 boats
How Intermarché intends to achieve a 20% market share - 16/05/2024
- - Reopening of 35 supermarkets under the Intermarché or Netto banners
- - Number of supermarkets and hypermarkets acquired from Casino in the southeast: 65 supermarkets, 10 hypermarkets
- - Number of supermarkets and hypermarkets acquired from Casino in Rhône-Alpes: 56 supermarkets, 4 hypermarkets
- - Current Intermarché market share in 2023: 16.7
- - Intermarché short-term target market share: 18.5
- - Intermarché's medium-term target market share: around 20%
- - Total number of outlets to be transformed: 294, comprising 257 supermarkets and 37 hypermarkets
- - Number of integrated ex-Casino employees: 10,000
Castorama revises its formula in France to boost sales - 28/03/2024
- - Castorama sales down 4.8%.
- - Brico Dépôt sales down 7%.
- - Total sales in France down by almost 6%.
- - Strategies: modernization of stores, reduction of floor space by 30%, transition to franchising, and transfer to the Brico Dépôt banner.
- - By 2024-2025, 13 units will be specifically affected (2 franchised, 1 will become Brico Dépôt, 7 relaunched, and 3 reduced in size).
- - 15% of Castorama and Brico Dépôt sales are generated by major works (kitchens, bathrooms) linked to moves.
- - Introduction of Screwfix in France, with 23 current stores, planned to reach 15 more by 2024 and 600 in the long term.
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The vegetable seed market | France
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