Author: Arjylee Shing Castro
Agriculture is an important aspect of our society. According to Abdu’l-Bahá “the fundamental basis of community is agriculture, tillage of the soil.” We can’t deny the importance of agriculture to our life and history. It goes down to our ancestors many, many years ago. Since then it had been the primary source of our food and basically our existence.
Despite the revolution of technology and most of the people focusing on how to improve our technology, agriculture is still essential in today’s time. In just the span of 100 years the population increased from 1.5 billion to 6.1 billion. Since 1964 the growth rate of world population is 2.1%.
With the continuing increase in population the food demand is also rising.
The following are the top 7 leading agricultural companies in the world which aims to produce quality products and answer the demand of the growing population:
- Monsanto
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
The biggest seed supplier company of them all, Monsanto provides farmers agricultural products likes seeds, biotechnology trait products and herbicides. They also offer solutions that improve productivity and produce better feed for animals and better foods for consumers.
The company works on two business segments. First is the Seeds and Genomics which produces seed brands such as Asgrow, Deltapine, DEKALB, De Ruiter and Seminis. This segment develops biotechnology traits that assists farmers in controlling insects and weeds. The second segment is the Agricultural Productivity which manufactures Roundup and Harness brand herbicides and other herbicides. They provide other seed companies with genetic material and biotechnology traits for their seed brands. Currently, the company owns approximately 27% of all seeds used in mono-crop and modern agricultural farming.
On February 2000 the original Monsanto Company entered into merger and changed its name to Pharmacia Corporation. On September of the same year they entered on a separation agreement with Pharmacia, although Pharmacia still owned approximately 85% of the common stock.
COUNTRY: US (St. Louis, Missouri)
INCOME: $11.8 Billion
MARKET VALUATION: $55.7 Billion (as of May 2015)
PRODUCTS: Canola, Corn, Cotton, Sorghum, Soybean, Sugarcane seeds, Wheat
FOUNDED ON: 1901
FOUNDER: John F. Queeny
HEAD OF THE COMPANY: Hugh Grant (CEO)
- Dupont (Pioneer)
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Dupont Pioneer is one of the world’s leading developer and supplier of advanced plant genetics providing high quality seeds to farmers around the world. The company operates in 90 countries and develops and distributes high-quality products such as alfalfa, canola, corn, cotton, mustard seed, pearl millet, rice, sorghum, soybeans, sunflower, and wheat as well as forage additives and a variety of services and expertise.
Dupont Pioneer commits to increase food productions with high quality brand products and agronomic knowledge that maximizes agricultural productivity. With the combination of conventional and new technologies, they aim to deliver solutions to help meet the needs of the growing population whose demand for agricultural seeds and products continues to increase. The company owns 17% of the market on seeds.
COUNTRY: US (Johnston, Iowa)
INCOME: $6.3 Billion (2012)
MARKET VALUATION: n/a
PRODUCT/S: corn and soybean production practices, weed management systems, weed/crop competition, crop physiology, training/education techniques, herbicide resistance
FOUNDED ON: 1926
FOUNDER: Henry A. Wallace
HEAD OF THE COMPANY: Paul E. Schickler, DuPont Pioneer President
- Syngenta
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Syngenta is the third biggest seed supplier company with more than 28, 000 employees in 90 countries. The Switzerland-based company is one of Monsanto’s biggest overseas competitor and owns 9% of market share in seeds.
The name Syngenta has two distinct roots. “Syn” comes from Greek which reflects synergy and synthesis, integration and consolidating strengths while “Genta” comes from the Latin “gens” which means people or community. It also relates to humanity and individuals. Combinging these two words, “Syngenta” means “bringing people together.”
COUNTRY: Switzerland (Basel)
INCOME: $2.93 Billion (2014)
MARKET VALUATION: $35.156 Billion
PRODUCT: Crop Protection (selective herbicides, non-selective herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and seedcare) , Seeds (corn and soybean, diverse field crops, vegetables, lawn and garden)
FOUNDED ON: 2001
FOUNDER: On November 13, 2000 Novartis and AstraZeneca merge their agribusinesses to form Syngenta.
Head of the company: Michael T. Mack (Chief Executive Officer, Executive Director)
- Groupe Limagrain
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Groupe Limagrain is a French company which owns 5% of the seed market and the fourth largest seed company in the world. In Europe, the group is currently the top producer of corn, wheat and other seeds for the professional market through its Anjou, Nickerson and LG brands. The company supplies seeds to the home gardening market and one of the top suppliers of vegetable seeds to the professional segment through its holding of Vilmorin Clause & Cie. They are also active in the North American market through its 50 percent share of the AgReliant joint-venture in the United States and Canada, as well as its ownership of the Harris Moran Seed Company, among others.
Groupe Limagrain has also extended its reach into food products, supplying flour and other bakery ingredients through subsidiary Limagrain Céréales Ingrédients and owns France’s second-largest industrial baking group, Jacquet SA.
COUNTRY: France (Saint Beauzire)
INCOME: € 1,969 million
MARKET VALUATION: $32.6 Billion (as May 2015)
PRODUCT: seed, vegetable seeds and cereal products
FOUNDED ON/FOUNDER:
1942: A group of farmers created the Coopérative de Production et de Vente de Semences Sélectionnées du Massif Central in order to provide a dependable source of wheat seeds during World War II.
1965: The organization changed its name to Limagrain and specializes in the development of corn seeds.
Head of the company: Mr. Jean-Christophe Juilliard (Deputy Chief Executive Officer)
- Land ‘O Lakes
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Land O’Lakes, Inc. is one of the premier member-owned cooperatives in America. Since its foundation on 1921, the company has been member-owned and directed. Currently, they are the second-largest cooperative in the nation with approximately 9,000 employees, 3,200 direct producer-members and 1,000 member cooperatives serving more than 300,000 agricultural producers.
They offer local cooperatives and agricultural producers across the nation an extensive line of agricultural supplies, as well as production and business services. They are also the leading marketer of dairy-based food products for consumers, foodservice professionals and food manufacturers. They handle 12 billion pounds of milk annually, produce a plethora of dairy food products. They do business in all 50 states and more than 50 countries.
COUNTRY: US (Arden Hills, MN)
INCOME: $3.8 Billion (First Quarter of 2015), $15 Billion (2014)
MARKET VALUATION: n/a
PRODUCT: dairy products, animal feeds (horses, cattle, poultry, zoo animals and wildlife), crop protection and seed marketing
FOUNDED ON: 1921
FOUNDER: Cooperative
Head of the company: Christopher J. Policinski(CEO)
- KWS AG
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
This German company owns 3 percent of the market share on agricultural seed. KWS stands for Kleinwanzlebener Saatzucht, Kleinwanzleben being the village where the company was founded in the fertile Magdeburger Börde plain. The company is family owned and has been a stock corporation since 1885.
COUNTRY: Germany
INCOME: € 1.178 billion (fiscal 2013/2014)
MARKET VALUATION: € 2 billion
PRODUCT: corn, sugarbeet, cereals, potato, oilseed rape, sunflower
FOUNDED ON: 1856
FOUNDER: Matthias Christian Rabbethge acquired the majority holding in the Zuckerfabrik Kleinwanzleben and formed a general commercial partnership.
HEAD OF THE COMPANY: Hagen Duenbostel, Chief Executive Officer and Member of the Executive Board
- Bayer Crop Science
ABOUT THE COMPANY:
Bayer Crop Science is another German company which owns 2% percent of the market share. The company is an innovation-driven company with a long tradition in research and development. They leverage their expertise to address global challenges and aim to improve people’s lives around the world. “Bayer: Science for a Better Life” is the foundation of the company’s mission and what the company strives to achieve within the agricultural sector. They want to contribute to the society by ensuring an ample supply of high-quality food, feed, fiber and renewable raw materials.
COUNTRY: Germany, Monheim (Global Headquarters)
INCOME: € 42, 239 million (net income-2014)
MARKET VALUATION: n/a
PRODUCT: cotton, fruit and vegetables, corn, oilseeds, rice, soy, wheat, sugar beets, sugar cane
FOUNDED ON: 1863
FOUNDER: Friedrich Bayer and Johann Friedrich Weskot
HEAD OF THE COMPANY: Liam Condon, Chief Executive Officer
