North America Seeds Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032

North America Seeds Market Size

The North America seeds market reached a value of around USD 19.49 billion in 2023. During the forecast period of 2024 and 2032, the market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.70% and reach around USD 29.47 billion by 2032.

North America Seeds Market Outlook

• The North American region is a major producer of vegetable and oil seeds, which caters to the growing global demand for food.

• New genetic varieties in corn, soyabean, cotton, sugar beet, and canola oilseeds will dominate the market share over their conventional varieties. 

• As per industry reports, approximately 55% of the total harvested crops in the US were genetically modified in 2020. This share is expected to grow by 2025.

North America Seeds Market Growth

The growth of North America seeds market is being fuelled by the rising world population, which is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, as per recent FAO reports. The rapid population growth has raised the demand for food grains and vegetable seeds, thereby impacting market growth. Further, the growing awareness about balanced diet consumption and concerns over nutritional deficiency in major developed and developing economies can also increase the North America seeds market value. To meet the rising demands of vegetable and cash crops in North America, major seed manufacturers in the US, namely, Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF, are expanding their supply chain of conventional and genetically modified seeds.

Furthermore, in 2022, a large portion of soybean fields in the United States was planted with Xtend and Enlist trait varieties, which help soybeans manage broadleaf weed growth and thus, providing a better yield. Similarly, in 2023, Bayer AG launched Genuity SmartStax Pro corn seeds on an initial 40,000 acres of land, which provided additional protection against corn rootworm, an insect pest which affects about 12 million hectares of US maize crop area. These efforts have contributed to the growth of the seeds market in the region.

Government of the US has also been working to increase the North America seeds market revenue through startups. The recently introduced Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs are major steps in this direction. These award-based incentives have encouraged entrepreneurs to invest in R&D of trending seed technologies to further drive the growth of the market in North America.

Key Trends and Recent Developments

Contribution of the big four firms, strong intellectual property protection laws, and favourable government initiatives are providing several North America seeds market opportunities.

August 2024

Scientists from University of California have developed a new variety of long beans, a popular staple of American Asian community by cross breeding local long beans grown in California with pest resistant African cow beans. The resultant variety is highly resistance to its common pest attacks caused by aphids and root-knot nematodes.

February 2024

US-based Norfolk Healthy Produce announced the sale of its first genetically modified, high-antioxidant purple tomato seeds. The seeds will be available to U.S. home gardeners only where biotechnology regulatory process by the USDA has been completed. The new variety contains antioxidants called anthocyanins, generally found in wild berries, sourced from snapdragon, an edible flower found in the United States.

March 2023

The United Staes Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the creation of a working group to consolidate and promote competition in the seed sector. Federal agencies from across all 50 states will participate and give their inputs. Further, the department also created a new office of the “farmer seed liaison” to implement the recommendations of the group. The goal is increase the overall seed market revenue in the country.

September 2021

Bayer announced the expansion of its vegetable seeds offerings under the Vegetable by Bayer initiative. The expansion is aimed at including organic seed varieties certified by the government. Initially, three organic seeds – tomato, sweet pepper, and cucumber were released for the greenhouse and glasshouse market. The launch will include all major North American nations – the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Big Four Firms Driving the Demand of the North America Seeds Market

The market is highly concentrated and the big four firms namely Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF contribute the highest percentage of seed supplies, while small firms only cater to the local markets. Besides conventional seeds, these firms are also establishing their footprint in newer seed technologies such as genetically modified seeds to meet future demands.

Intellectual Property Protection Laws in North America Driving Research and Development

North America has a robust framework of intellectual property laws to protect newly discovered seed and plant varieties, including Plant Variety Protection certificates issued by the US department of Agriculture (USDA), Utility patents issued by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and Plant patents issued by the USPTO as well. These frameworks are a major factor driving research and development in US seed industry.

Increased Demand for Genetically Modified Seeds Drives Overall Seeds Demand Growth

According to the USDA’s latest data, more than 50% of harvested U.S. cropland uses seed varieties with at least one genetically modified seed trait. The demand for such seeds is further increasing owing to quality characteristics such as high yield, insect or pest resistance, and tolerance to extreme drought temperatures, thereby propelling the overall growth of the seeds market.

Oilseeds, especially Soyabeans leads the North America Seed Production Market

North America seeds industry analysis suggests that the market is led by a handful of oilseed varieties which include soybeans, cottonseed, sunflower seed, canola, rapeseed, and peanuts. Soybeans dominate the oilseed supply accounting for about 90 percent of overall U.S. oilseed production. Besides, its overall cropland expands to 87.45 million acres, according to the USDA’s latest data in 2022.

North America Seeds Industry Segmentation

“North America Seeds Market Report and Forecast 2024-2032” offers a detailed analysis of the market based on the following segments:

Market Breakup by Seed Type

• Conventional Seeds

• Genetically Modified Seeds

Market Breakup by Crop Type

• Row Crops
  • Fiber Crops
  • Forage Crops
  • Grains and Cereals
  • Oil Seeds
  • Pulses
• Vegetables 
  • Brassicas
  • Cucurbits
  • Roots and Bulbs
  • Solanaceae
  • Unclassified Vegetables

Market Breakup by Treatment

• Treated Seeds

• Untreated Seeds

Market Breakup by Trait

• Herbicide Tolerance

• Insect Resistance

• Others

Market Breakup by Country

• United States

• Canada

North America Seeds Market Share

The United States is the largest producer and exporter of vegetable and oil seeds in North America, followed by Canada. According to the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), the US seed market currently has more than 750 seed companies operating throughout the region, which showcases the rising demand for high-quality seeds. The U.S Government is further incentivising startup growth to diversify the seed market’s growth in the long run. The Canadian seed market, being the second largest in North America, contributes over USD 6 billion to the Canadian Economy and exports more than USD 640 million worth of high-quality seeds annually, which is increasing the market revenue.

Leading Manufacturers in the North America Seeds Market

Market players are focused on expanding their seed portfolio by leveraging modern manufacturing technologies.

• BASF SE  

• Bayer AG  

• Corteva Inc.  

• DLF Seeds A/S  

• Syngenta AG  

• Groupe Limagrain Holding  

• KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaA  

• Sakata Seed Corporation 

• UPL Ltd. (Advanta US)  

• Rijk Zwaan Zaadteelt en Zaadhandel B.V. 

• Takii & Co., Ltd. 

• Others

Key Highlights of the Report

North America Seeds Market Report Snapshots

North America Seeds Market Size

North America Seeds Market Growth

North America Seeds Market Share

North America Seeds Companies