The document summarizes key findings from the Access to Seeds Index 2019, which evaluated the strategies and activities of 60 leading seed companies in three regions. The main takeaways are: 1) The seed industry in South and Southeast Asia is mature with regional companies investing heavily in breeding, but adoption strategies and support for underserved crops are lacking. 2) In Eastern and Southern Africa, the regional seed industry is emerging with a focus on maize breeding and hybridization advancing. 3) The seed industry in Western and Central Africa has upcoming homegrown potential but lacks breeding, resulting in outdated seed portfolios, and emphasis remains on open-pollinated varieties.

1. Results of the
Access to Seeds Index 2019
Rome, 28 May 2019

2. Access to Seeds Index: encouraging the seed industry to make
the benefits of plant breeding accessible for smallholder farmers
• Initiated by The Netherlands in
2012
• Officially launched at 38th FAO
Ministers Conference in 2013
• First Access to Seeds Index
(2015) covered 26 companies
• Second edition (2019) covers
60 companies across 65 countries

3. UN Agencies: numbers of people suffering from malnutrition are on
the rise, because of effects of climate change on agriculture
Number of undernourished people
2005-2017 (millions)
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1000
1 2 3 4 5 6
World:
on the rise
Asia:
standstill
Africa:
on the rise
Latin America:
standstill
UN agencies
• Help farmers to adapt to climate change
• Improve access to new crop varieties

4. Farmer Roundtables 2016: “Climate changes drives our growing need for
improved seed; we need to partner with seed companies”
Western and
Central Africa
South and
Southeast Asia
Eastern and
Southern Africa
Hanoi, Vietnam, August 2016 Ouagadougou, October 2016 Johannesburg, October 2016

5. Landscaping
Improve transparency of the industry
Partnerships
Help to create public-private partnerships
Dialogue
Provide an evidence base for dialogue
Benchmark
Reward leadership, encourage improvements
Objectives of the
Access to Seeds Index

6. November 2018
South and
Southeast Asia
Eastern &
Southern Africa
Latin
America
Western &
Central Africa
South &
Southeast Asia
March 2019
Eastern &
Southern Africa
April 2019
Western &
Central Africa
The Access to Seeds Index 2019 evaluated strategies and activities
of 60 leading seed companies in three regions
January 2019
Global seed
companies in all
four regions

7. The Index assesses company activities
in seven areas, developed with 25 experts from all regions
10%
10%
10%
20%
10%
20%
20%
Governance & Strategy
Genetic Resources
Intellectual Property
Research & Development
Seed Production
Marketing & Sales
Capacity Building
Commitment
20%
Performance
60%
Leadership
10%
Transparency
10%

8. The long tail of the seed industry: a small group of global leaders
and a long tail of smaller, regional, seed companies
• Monsanto*
• Corteva
• Syngenta
• Bayer*
• KWS
• Limagrain
Seed revenue
> 1 billion USD
• Rijk Zwaan
• Sakata
• Advanta
Seed revenue
around 500 million
• Bejo
• East-West Seed
• Seed Co
• NSC India
• Nuziveedu Seeds
Seed revenue
300-100 million
Seed revenues 35 leading seed companies in Access to Seeds Index
12
10
08
06
04
02
*Before merger
Largest comp. from
• Niger
• Ethiopia
• Vietnam
• Somalia
• Mali
Seed revenue
< 1 million
Billion USD

9. 1 East-West Seed
(THA-Private)
2 Bayer
(DEU-Listed)
3 Syngenta
(CHE-Private)
4 Advanta
(ARE-Listed)
5 Corteva Agriscience
(USA - Listed)
6 Acsen HyVeg
(IND-Private)
7 Namdhari Seeds
(IND-Private)
8 Limagrain
(FRA-Cooperative/Listed)
9 Nuziveedu Seeds
(IND-Private)
10 Monsanto
(USA-Listed)
11 BRAC Seed & Agro Enterprise
(BGD-Social Enterprise)
12 Metahelix Life Sciences Ltd
(IND-Listed)
13 Lal Teer Seed
(BGD-Listed)
14 Kalash Seed
(IND-Private)
15 Known-You Seed
(TWN-Private)
16 Vinaseed
(VNM-Listed)
17 Charoen Pokphand
(THA-Private)
18 Takii
(JPN-Private)
19 Mahyco
(IND-Private)
20 Sakata
(JPN-Listed)
21 National Seeds Corporation
(IND-State-owned)
22 Punjab Seed Corporation
(PAK-State-owned)
23 Nongwoo Bio
(KOR-Listed)
24 Bioseed
(IND-Private)
Source: Access to Seeds Index 2019
1 East African Seed
(KEN-Private)
2 Seed Co
(ZAF-Listed)
3 East-West Seed
(THA-Private)
4 Corteva Agriscience
(USA-Listed)
5 Syngenta
(CHE - Private)
6 Victoria Seeds
(UGA-Private)
7 NASECO
(UGA-Private)
8 Equator Seeds
(UGA-Private)
9 Ethiopian Agricultural
Business Corporation
(ETH-State owned)
10 FICA Seeds
(UGA-Private)
11 Technisem
(FRA-Private)
12 Pop Vriend Seeds
(NLD-Private)
13 Demeter Seed
(MWI-Private)
14 Kenya Seed Company
(KEN-Private)
15 Monsanto*
(USA-Listed)
16 Kenya Highland Seed
(KEN-Private)
17 Capstone Seeds
(ZAF-Private)
18 Klein Karoo Africa
(ZAF-Private)
19 Zamseed
(ZAM-Private)
20 Darusalam Seed Company
(SOM-Private)
21 Starke Ayres
(ZAF-Private)
22 Hygrotech
(ZAF-Private)
1 Value Seeds
(NGA-Private)
2.85
2.52
2.48
2.39
2.21
2.15
2.11
2.11
1.97
1.82
1.82
1.57
2 Technisem
(FRA-Private)
3 East-West Seed
(THA-Private)
4 Syngenta
(CHE-Private)
5 Tropicasem
(SEN - Private)
6 Maslaha Seeds
(NGA-Private)
7 Seed Co
(ZAF-Listed)
8 Semagri
(CMR-Private)
9 Nankosem
(USA-Listed)
10 Corteva Agriscience
(UGA-Private)
11 Premier Seed
(NGA-Private)
12 Da-Allgreen Seeds
(NGA-Private)
0 1 2 3 4 5
South and Southeast Asia:
• 5 Global companies in top 10;
• 5 from region (three from India)
Eastern & Southern Africa:
• 2 regional companies lead,
• 7 from region in top 10
Western & Central Africa:
• Nigerian comp. leads ranking;
• 5 from the region in top 10
Rankings demonstrate the key role of regional
companies for improving access to seeds

10. South and Southeast Asia: a strong research-driven industry,
releasing new varieties into the market
Global
companies
22
9
1 2 38
66
53
Regional
companies
Less than three years
Between three and five years
More than five years
Less than three years
Between three and five years
More than five years
Age of youngest variety (%)
12
23
65
Global
companies
Regional
companies
5
23
73
Own breeding
Other companies
Public research
Own breeding
Other companies
Public research
Breeding source (%)
Source: Key findings, Access to Seeds Index for South and Southeast Asia 2019
Over 60% of varieties result from
companies’ own breeding program
125
23
Breeding source (%)
22
9
Age of youngest variety (%)
For over 50% of portfolio youngest
variety is released in past three years

11. South and Southeast Asia: companies reach only 20% of
smallholders; adoption strategies focus on few countries
Country
India
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Myanmar
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Laos
Nepal
Afghanistan
Companies
15
9
8
6
6
5
3
3
3
3
1
1
0
South and
Southeast Asia
Number of companies
with capacity building
activities
6
9
10
12
15
15
16
17
17
18
18
20
15
21
Myanmar
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
Laos
Nepal
Afghanistan
Number of companies with capacity building programs
Number of companies present
3
3
3
1
1
0
India
Bangladesh
Indonesia
Philippines
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
9
8
6
6
5
3
Sales is often not
accompanied by
capacity building
Source: Key findings, Access to Seeds Index for South and Southeast Asia 2019

12. Eastern and Southern Africa: Maize considered main crop in most
company portfolios, hybrids increasingly available
Crops and seed types found
in company portfolios
Hybrid OPV
Beans, dry
Soybean
Cowpea
Groundnut
Pigeon pea
Chickpea
Maize
Sorghum
Sunflower
Millets
Rice
Wheat
Sesame
Vegetables Field crops
Legumes
15
13
5
0
5
0
14
12
10
8
5
2
8
0
1
7
6
4
8
11
Tomato
Cabbage
Watermelon
Pepper (sweet)
Onion
Cucumber
Pepper (hot)
Carrot
Squash
Cauliflower
Pumpkin
Melon
Eggplant
Okra
Gourd
Lettuce
Green bean
Green pea
17
14
10
7
4
10
9
9
7
11
12
1
11
0
9
0
9
14
2
2
16
13
16
13
13
12
12
14
14
11
10
11
9
10
11
12
Crops found in company portfolios
Vegetables Field crops
Legumes
Tomato
Onion
Cabbage
Watermelon
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Carrot
Eggplant
Pumpkin
Okra
Cucumber
Lettuce
Melon
Cauliflower
Squash
Green bean
Green pea
Gourd
14 5
14 5
13 5
13 5
13 5
12 5
12 5
12 5
12 5
11 5
10 5
10 5
9 5
9 5
9 5
9 5
9 3
2 3
Maize
Sorghum
Millets
Rice
Sunflower
Wheat
Sesame
Potato
Soybean
Dry Beans
Groundnut
Cowpea
Pigeon pea
Chickpea
13 3
13 3
8 2
7 2
7 1
1
5 3
5
1 2
11 3
10 2
9 1
7 3
1
15
2
Global companies
Regional companies
Source: Key Findings, Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa 2019

13. Eastern and Southern Africa: Breeding focus is primarily on
maize, majority of varieties on offer are over three years old
Number of companies with
breeding programs for crops
Maize
Beans, dry
Soybean
Tomato
Sorghum
Wheat
Onion
Watermelon
Pumpkin
Okra
Pepper (hot)
Pepper (sweet)
Green bean
11
5
5
5
4
4
4
4
4
3
3
3
3
Field crop
Legumes
Vegetable
Source: Key Findings, Access to Seeds Index for Eastern and Southern Africa 2019
Age of youngest variety (%)
Less than three years
Between three and five years
More than five years
Less than three years
Between three and five years
More than five years
Global
companies
Regional
companies
29
39
32
61
20
20

14. Age of
youngest
variety (% )
21
31
48
12
88
Source of
varieties
Western and Central Africa: only seven companies from the
region are involved in breeding, resulting in outdated portfolio
Only 12% of portfolio of
regional companies is
result of own breeding
Almost 50% of portfolio
of regional companies
older than 5 years
Source: Access to Seeds Index for Western and Central Africa 2019
From African continent From outside the continent

15. Seed industry covers nearly all countries;
companies and cooperatives from region hardly cross borders
Origin of homegrown
seed companies
Presence global seed
companies
Presence seed-producing
cooperatives
Source: www.accesstoseeds.org/publications
Companies
16
14
13
12
12
11
11
8
7
6
6
6
5
5
4
3
2
2
2
1
1
1
F ebru ary, 2 0 1 8
Landscaping study for the
R eg ional Access to Seeds Index
for Western & Central Africa
Coordinated under the supervision of
Mr. Yacouba Diallo, Bamako, Mali
Commissioned by the Access to Seeds
Foundation
Identifying Leading Seed
Companies in Western and
Central Africa
January 2 0 1 9
Bridg ing the g apbetween the
world’s leading seed companies
and the smallholder farmer
Access to Seeds
Index 2019
Global Seed
Companies

16. Main take-outs
South and Southeast Asia
• Mature regional seed industry,
investing heavily in breeding
• OPVs and legumes overlooked
• Lack of adoption strategies in
many countries
Eastern and Southern Africa
• Emerging regional seed industry
• Breeding primarily focused on
maize
• Hybridization advancing
Source: Access to Seeds Index 2019
Western and Central Africa
• Upcoming homegrown
potential
• Lack of breeding, resulting
in outdated portfolio
• Emphazis on OPVs

17. Main findings genetic resources
Benefit sharing
• Growing support for subscription model among globals
• Hardly at radar screen of regional companies
Use
• Concentration of breeding on handful of crops
• Larger companies lose interest in local crops, legumes, OPVs
Conservation
• Companies maintain a working collection for breeding
• Not sharing information or making it available

18. www.accesstoseeds.org