Top 10 Crop Protection Company Strategies for 2026/2027
15 September 2026 Crop protection companies are operating in an increasingly volatile environment, shaped by shifts in global politics, climate conditions, product regulation, grower incomes, and agrochemical pricing.
Against this backdrop, this article sets out 10 priority strategies that can help crop protection companies strengthen their competitive position, protect or expand market share, and respond more effectively to complex market dynamics.
1. Collaboration
Collaboration can provide opportunities for companies to expand in country or crop markets, leveraging the combined attributes of each collaborator. Recent examples where this could be of significant benefit include:
- A distribution agreement between Bayer and Japan’s Kumiai Chemical, with Kumiai to sell Bayer products on an exclusive basis in Japan. The products, which were previously sold through the Japanese cooperatives Zen-Noh and Hokuren, include paddy herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides for use on fruit trees and vegetable crops.
- A recent strategic collaboration between Germany’s Helm and India’s Parijat Industries spanning digital commerce, branded crop protection products, technical manufacturing, and international distribution.
2. Acquisition
The purchase of assets can be an effective way to achieve rapid growth, with recent notable examples of M&A activity boosting company sales including:
- Crystal Crop Protection Ltd. acquiring FMC’s Indian commercial business.
- Tagros Chemicals acquiring Bayer’s global flubendiamide business.
- BASF acquiring the biologicals company AgBiTech.
3. Licensing
Inward licensing can provide companies with access to markets or technologies that they would otherwise not have access to, such as for proprietary active ingredients. For the outward-licensing companies, this can open up access to their proprietary technologies to additional markets and provide a low-margin revenue stream. Recent examples of licensing agreements with significant commercial potential include:
- Agreement between FMC and Syngenta to market tetflupyrolimet-based herbicide products in key rice markets in Asia.
- Nutrichem’s nonexclusive patent licensing agreement with Albaugh and its wholly owned subsidiary, Jiangsu Rotam Chemical, for the technical grade fungicide active ingredient picoxystrobin.
4. Supply Chain
Management of supply chains underwent significant scrutiny, particularly during and after the global pandemic. This issue has again taken on greater focus through supply disruptions caused by the Middle East conflict. Companies with more diversified supply chains are better positioned to withstand the shocks associated with such geopolitical events.
5. Geographic Expansion
Companies who look to expand their geographic access to a wider range of markets can limit the negative effects associated with weak market conditions in certain regions. For example, companies who are overexposed in European cereal markets will be worse affected by the current prevailing weather conditions in the region than companies with a broader focus across multiple geographies.
6. Portfolio Management
Key drivers behind good portfolio management involve insulating or mitigating against the negative effects associated with regulation or with resistance development. Companies who can offer alternatives if products are regulated out of markets or whose efficacy has been severely lessened by resistance development are better positioned than companies with a narrower focus on typically older chemistries.
7. Margin Control
In the current market, squeezed grower incomes and volatile agrochemical prices make margin protection increasingly challenging. Companies with strong backward integration in their manufacturing chains are better insulated, while others may withdraw from markets where margins are too narrow. Corteva, for example, has pursued a strategy of discontinuing operations in selected country or crop markets with tighter margins, shifting focus instead toward areas where profitability is more assured, such as high-value specialty crops.
8. Technology Advancement
Technology adoption in agriculture is accelerating, and companies that strengthen their technology capabilities are better placed to capture the benefits. This includes investment in tools and platforms that improve product performance, decision-making, and grower engagement.
9. Product Differentiation
Companies who are not in a position to offer proprietary active ingredients but focus on other means of product differentiation can enhance their position in the crop protection market. This level of differentiation can include unique formulations or mixtures in certain markets, offered under proprietary brands, which can provide the grower with an offering that only that company can provide. Examples include Adama’s insecticide Galil Nano (bifenthrin/imidacloprid), which utilizes nanoparticles for increased absorption and infection, and UPL’s L-tek herbicide formulation technology for glufosinate-based products.
10. Expand Digital Offerings
Companies with an increasing focus on digital offerings can benefit from the rapidly rising uptake of digital technologies by growers globally. This includes agronomy platforms, field mapping, and product recommendations, with these programs able to be tailored by a specific company with a focus on their own offerings where and when available.
Examples of this type of platform include BASF’s xarvio, Corteva’s Granular, Bayer’s FieldView, and Syngenta’s CropWise.
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