The Agriculture CRO Services Market size is estimated at USD 10.89 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 18.78 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 11.5% during the forecast period (2024-2029).
There has been a considerable rise in the demand for agriculture CRO (contract research organization) services, primarily in the agrochemical industry. Agrochemical manufacturers adopt CRO services to optimize efficiency and effectiveness through better product development and understanding of market requirements. This further helps them to remain competitive in the industry and create a positional foothold in the market. Other than this, CRO services facilitate the integration of advanced technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, automation, and robotics, in agriculture practices. This, along with the rising adoption of smart agriculture, is further boosting the market growth. Moreover, prominent players are adopting strategies, such as expansion, partnerships, and product innovation, to strengthen their position in the market. For instance, in 2023, Eurofins Agroscience Services expanded its Seeds Services Portfolio to address market needs. Under this portfolio, the company established a seed processing unit comprising a cleaning and sorting physical tuning service, a seed coating service for parental lines, and an early-stage hybrid of field and vegetable crops.
Fertilizer companies often require specialized expertise, facilities, and equipment for testing and development, which can be cost-intensive to maintain in-house. Outsourcing these services to CROs enables them to focus on core activities while benefiting from specialized resources. Therefore, fertilizer companies rely on CRO services to enhance research and development activities, expedite product development, conduct trials, and navigate regulatory requirements. The ever-increasing demand for improved fertilizers and the need for efficient testing to comply with regulatory standards drive the market for CRO services in the agriculture sector. Furthermore, advancements in testing methodologies, such as molecular biology techniques to analyze fertilizer composition and efficacy, further amplify the capabilities of CROs and their value proposition to fertilizer companies. The utilization of such techniques also aids in the identification of key ingredients and the optimization of their concentrations to deliver the desired results.
Different countries in the region have specific set-ups or systems functioning, which require support from entities like CRO to understand and function harmoniously with such set-ups. For instance, several ecosystems in the Eastern Region of the United States have successful union organizations among farm workers. To operate and be successful with such organizational setups, agricultural input companies require the help of CRO services for better placement of their products and work in collaboration with farmers and farm workers. In Canada, population growth and declining availability of arable land have driven advancements and innovations in the agrochemical sector. The market stakeholders are actively involved in importing and exporting agrochemicals in Canada and, hence, require solid regulatory support from the agriculture CRO services. Moreover, market players have explored new technologies and procedures in past years to enhance the approach and effectiveness of CRO services in the region. For example, in 2022, SynTech Research started working with agave growers in Mexico to provide the necessary data for successfully registering various agave cultivation products. Various Agave GLP trials have been completed successfully by SynTech in Jalisco since 2022.
The agricultural CRO services market is competitive, with major players occupying most of the market share. Expansion was the primary strategy adopted by prominent market players to retain their position in the market. The key players also adopted partnerships to increase their market share. Some key players in the market include Eurofins Agrosciences, SynTech Research Group, Charles River Laboratories, The ERM International Group Limited, and Exponent Inc.
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