According to a new study published by Polaris Market Research the global organic seed market is anticipated to reach USD 5.35 billion by 2026. Growing demand for naturally derived products is the primary reason expected to drive the organic seed industry over the next seven to eight years.
For any seed to be certified as organic the producer or farmer should only use formerly grown seeds except for non-originally or non-formerly farmed untreated seeds. The planting stocks can also be used for the production of an organic crop only when an equivalent organically breeded variety is not available commercially. Organic plant breeding in several industrialized nations has increasingly employing molecular techniques. Cisgenesis and transgenesis are some of the newly introduced breeding techniques that have played significant role in increasing availability of enhanced hybrid organic seeds. SoW-1 is another new genetically modified (GM) seed breed that has been an increasing trend in the industry. The product value of GM seed that have been traded increased over 25-fold in between 1996 and 2017, from USD 280 million to around USD 7 275 million. But, only in the USA, Brazil, Argentina, India, China and South Africa have been growing significant acreages of GM crops.
Various initiatives have already been promoted for both informal and formal seed systems. The African Union has been fully engaged in encouraging its member countries to take higher integrated approaches to development of hybrid seed systems including private, public and farmers’ role. In many European countries, various rules for organic seed development have been designed to further instigate local production and sales of organic seed in its or else exceedingly regulated seed industry. These regulatory advancements along with technological development in seed breeding have influenced the industry and offered new opportunities for further penetration in the seed farming business.
Europe was the largest market in 2017 and with increasing organic farming land in the region the demand of these products is further expected to increase in the near future. Organic farming or agriculture has been a boom in the region and almost every country the market is rapidly developing. The increasing production and higher penetration of these products in Europe is due to high growth rates of Poland, Spain and the Czech Republic.
Some of the leading market participants in the organic seed industry in terms of seed farming and supply include Renee’s Garden, Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, Kusa Seed Society, Territorial Seeds Company, Arnica Kwekerij, Mass Plant, Wild Garden Seed, High Mowing Organic Seeds, Fleuren, Vitalis Organic Seeds, HILD Samen, De Bolster, Navdanya, Farm Direct Organic Seeds, Rijk Zwaan, Wild Garden Seeds, Fedco Seeds, Seed Savers Exchange, Southern Exposure Seed Exchange and Johnny’s Selected Seeds.
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