Sep 23, 2021

Bayer aims to expand offerings of organic vegetable seed, rootstocks

Bayer on Sept. 22 announced plans to expand its vegetable seed offerings to include organically-produced vegetable seeds.

The launch will focus on certified organic production in three key crops for the greenhouse and glasshouse market: tomato, sweet pepper and cucumber, according to a news release from the international company. The seeds will be followed by tomato rootstock varieties in 2023. Varieties will be sold under both the Seminis and De Ruiter vegetable seed brands.

Bayer’s expanded portfolio is in direct response to increased customer need for high-quality organic seed. Global consumer demand for certified-organic products continues to grow and is predicted to drive market expansion, according to a news release from the company. The International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) estimates that today’s global organic food market is worth more than 106 billion euros. The global organic food seeds market was valued at $355 million in 2020 and is expected to grow to $480 million by 2025 with a 6.2% capitalized annual growth rate, or CAGR. This increased demand presents a valuable opportunity for many of Bayer‘s vegetable seeds customers to grow their businesses while supporting consumer food choice and promoting access to nutritious fruits and vegetables.

“We serve growers all over the world and believe that they should have the freedom to choose the tools or the practices that best suit the needs of their farms and the needs of their customers,” Inci Dannenberg, resident of global vegetable seeds at Bayer, said in the release. “The launch of our certified organic vegetable seeds represents an opportunity to continue to bring our best-in-class varieties and industry-leading disease resistances to growers in the organics market, while supporting consumer choice.”

“Organic certification standards require us to use certified organic seed where available, and that is what our customers expect too,” Ricardo Crisantes, chief commercial officer of Wholesum Family Farms, said in the news release. “We are very pleased that Bayer is supporting our market by offering certified organic seed and look forward to having a high-quality selection of De Ruiter^® seeds for our organic glasshouse production.”

The commercial launch for the new certified organic portfolio is planned for early 2022 and will focus on the high-growth organic markets of Canada, United States, Mexico, Spain and Italy with potential for future expansion based on market demand, according to the news release. In the meantime, the company is taking all necessary steps to obtain the proper certification at its facilities to prepare for the receiving, processing, storage and distribution of certified organic seeds. The vegetable seed offerings join Bayer’s non-synthetic crop production and crop protection products, or biologicals, as another critical tool for certified organic growers around the world.

The announcement comes as the United Nations celebrates the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables in 2021, which aims to raise awareness around ways to promote increased consumption of fruits and vegetables across the value chain.

“Across everything we do, Bayer and our Vegetable Seeds business remain committed to being the partner of choice, providing best-in-class varieties and tailored solutions to support our customers and partners in growing their businesses while providing people around the world with safe, nutritious and delicious fruits and vegetables,” Dannenberg said in the news release.

More information regarding the launch of Bayer’s certified organic vegetable seeds will be made available in the coming months at vegetables.bayer.com.