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Concentration of market power
in the EU seed market
Seed growers /
Multipliers
Seed traders /
retailers
Production/treating
companies
At the beginning of the seed chain,they create new varieties
and produce seeds.
Breeders create the added value in the seed sector. Breeding companies own the
intellectual property rights on varieties, and bene t from the largest sales margins
on the products.
They produce seeds in their fields
from seed provided by production companies.
They sell seeds to farmers and other users.
They produce seeds most often under contracts
with seed growers.
They can also sort, process, package and market them. Many of the
enterprises involved are micro-enterprises located in Poland,
Hungary and Romania.
#2
#3
#4
only
72/565
of
seed enterprises
in France
(the world's leading
seed exporter and the EU’s
biggest seed market)
are actually
breeders
The number of seed breeders
is very small.
It is not possible to find out which of these
enterprises are independent
.
Among the 72 enterprises, Clause, Eurodur, Limagrain Europe
and Vilmorin SA belong to the same group. Some of the
enterprises are public bodies, such as INRA and CIRAD
.
€
Breeding companies
#1
THE STRUCTURE OF
THE SEED SECTOR
The seed sector is dominated by giant companies which over time have acquired smaller companies along the
seed supply chain, e.g. seed breeders, biotech research companies, etc. (vertical and horizontal integration).
They also very often establish alliances with other companies in the sector through outsourcing and partner-
ships. Additionally seed giants collaborate with each other in di erent ways (joint ventures, cross-licensing
agreements, etc.).
This means that large corporations operate throughout the whole seed chain.
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