The Access to Seeds Index is now part of the World Benchmarking Alliance. All indexes up to 2020 can be found here. New indexes and methodologies are published on the website of the WBA.
Stay here worldbenchmarkingalliance.orgThe 2019 Access to Seeds Index evaluates 13 global and 47 regional leaders. Company scorecards highlight presence & portfolio, leading practices and notable findings.
The highest ranking regional company in the South and Southeast Asia Index, Acsen HyVeg sets an example in the choice it provides farmers, with a broad vegetable seed portfolio that includes open-pollinated varieties alongside hybrids for most of its crops.
See scorecardThe seed portfolio of Advanta includes field crops, vegetables and forage crops. Active globally, it has a strong focus on South Asia where it sees smallholder farmers as its main clientele. It leads the industry on bringing public research varieties to the market.
See scorecardAgriplus Mali participates in a EUCORD project aimed at improving access to quality seeds and inputs, and provides training to smallholder farmers, with a focus on women. The company ranks relatively low, the result of limited disclosure in most measurement areas.
See scorecardOne of the largest seed producers in Niger, AINOMA works with research institutes to increase the cultivation of biofortified crops, improving nutrition security, particularly among women and children. The company’s extension services have reached 20,000 smallholder farmers in the country.
See scorecardFollowing the 2018 acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer leads the seed industry in sales. The company demonstrates strong practices in introducing adapted hybrid rice varieties as well as a broad approach to capacity building. Smallholders constitute 13% of its total clientele.
See scorecardVegetable breeding company Bejo has sales activities in 46 index countries. With the recent introduction of true potato seed, a new potato hybrid, the company aims to strengthen its focus on smallholder farmers in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
See scorecardFocused exclusively on the production and marketing of field crops, BILOHF is the only regional company to publicly disclose its code of business conduct. The company can improve its overall performance by disclosing the full scope of its access to seeds-related activities.
See scorecardThe Indian company Bioseed has nine breeding stations and more than 30 testing stations in the region. It is engaged in the research and development of hybrid varieties of field and vegetable crops and GM cotton. Its low ranking results from a lack of disclosure.
See scorecardThe largest non-governmental organization in the world includes its Seed and Agro Enterprise. Mainly focused on Bangladesh, its diverse portfolio, strong adoption strategies and collaborative research practices are exemplary.
See scorecardSouth Africa’s Capstone Seeds has distribution channels in 11 countries in the region and serves remote areas through partnerships with non-governmental organizations. Outside South Africa, smallholder farmers constitute the company’s main clientele. Maize, sorghum and millets are its main crops.
See scorecardWith it strong corporate-level commitments, the Thai conglomerate Charoen Pokphand serves as an example for many companies in the region. However, limited disclosure in various measurement areas means it ranks low in the index.
See scorecardCorteva Agriscience is the agriculture division of DowDuPont and will be spun off as a separate company in June 2019. In index regions, it primarily works through its Pioneer and Pannar brands. Maize, rice and millets are considered its main crops.
See scorecardRanking in the middle of the index, Da-Allgreen Seeds is a Nigerian company involved in the production, processing and marketing of field crop and vegetable seeds, including a vitamin A-fortified cassava variety. The company demonstrates strengths in engaging smallholder farmers in seed production and in testing varieties suitable for the market.
See scorecardDarusalam Seed Company is one of three index companies present in Somalia. It is also the only company with activities beyond sales. It tests, processes and produces seed and provides seasonal agronomic training to smallholder farmers.
See scorecardDemeter Seed sells seed in Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zambia, with an emphasis on its home market Malawi, where it has an extensive seed distribution network reaching even remote locations. Sixty extension officers provide demonstration services and training for smallholders.
See scorecardOriginating in Kenya, East African Seed has breeding, seed production and sales locations throughout the region. The company stands out for its research activities, which include local crops, as well as a network of extension staff in multiple countries.
See scorecardHeadquartered in Thailand, East-West Seed is the only global seed company with a smallholder farmer centric business model. The tropical vegetable seed company has over 900 hybrid and open-pollinated varieties in portfolio. Its portfolio of local crops is the largest in the industry.
See scorecardEnza Zaden is a Dutch vegetable breeding company with an extensive global network of subsidiaries and local dealers. Its joint venture EWINDO in Indonesia breeds for global and local crops. In Nepal, it is involved in developing the capacity of farmer cooperatives.
See scorecardEquator Seeds’ operations are focused on Uganda, its home market, and neighboring South Sudan. It performs well in seed production, working closely with Ugandan farmer cooperatives. Women and young farmers are key target groups for its capacity building programs.
See scorecardEthiopian Agricultural Business Corporation is only active in its home market of Ethiopia. It distributes seed to the remotest areas of the country, in collaboration with Ethiopian farmer unions and cooperatives, and is the only company with tef in its portfolio, a vital staple crop in the country.
See scorecardFaso Kaba has distribution channels in eight index countries, which is high relative to its peers. The company works with 25 seed cooperatives in Mali, through which it engages smallholder farmers in seed production, providing fertilizers and pre-basic seed to the producers.
See scorecardUganda’s FICA Seeds demonstrates leadership in seed production, producing foundation seed and distributing it to local seed companies to meet demand. The company displays significant research collaborations in breeding and stands out for its investments in training programs for plant breeders.
See scorecardGAWAL has established seed production cooperatives and training courses in rice and maize production, working with more than 5,000 farmers in seven communities in Nigeria. The company ranks at the bottom of the index, the result of an overall lack of disclosure.
See scorecardLimagrain is an international cooperative group specialized in vegetable and cereal seed. It offers a broad portfolio that includes hybrids and open-pollinated varieties. The company’s support for a smallholder-friendly intellectual property system is notable.
See scorecardBased in Ghana, Heritage Seeds owes its low ranking to a general lack of transparency. The company performs well in seed production, engaging over 350 smallholder farmers as outgrowers in Ghana, and in its variety trials, conducted in collaboration with national and international research institutes.
See scorecardVegetable seed company Hygrotech exhibits relative strengths in its breeding work on a small number of crops and distribution channels in seven index countries, albeit with no clear links to smallholder farmers.
See scorecardThe Indian company Kalash Seeds has robust distribution channels in all major Indian states and South Asian countries, where it services remote areas through local dealers. During open days for farmers it collects feedback to improve its breeding program.
See scorecardKenya Highland Seed supplies vegetable seed, both open-pollinated and hybrid varieties, in seven index countries under its Royal Seed brand. It employs diverse transport methods to ensure it meets demand in remote areas.
See scorecardState-owned Kenya Seed Company researches, develops and markets field crop and vegetable seeds. It is notable for its quality assurance and after-sales support. The company participates in crop insurance schemes and provides discounts to cooperatives.
See scorecardKlein Karoo Africa has distribution channels in nine countries and breeding and production locations across the region. In 2012, the company opened an accredited training facility to support the development of smallholder farmers in its home market South Africa.
See scorecardTaiwanese seed company Known-You Seed has a strong presence throughout the region. Its breeding program includes a high number of vegetable and local crops. Smallholder farmers produce 100% of its seed in Thailand and India.
See scorecardGerman company KWS focuses on field crops and moderate climatic zones. Through capacity building projects in Ethiopia and Peru, it is involved in training local plant breeders and conserving local varieties of maize and quinoa (Ethiopia) and barley and wheat (Peru).
See scorecardHeadquartered in Bangladesh, Lal Teer Seed is the only index company with extension services and breeding activities in Nepal. Its provision of geospatial data for smallholders is a unique capacity building initiative.
See scorecardThrough its royalty-free license, the Indian company Mahyco has enabled the adoption of BT eggplant among farmers in Bangladesh. Covering 59 locations, the ISO 9001 certification awarded to the company is the largest multi-location certification in India.
See scorecardOnly active in Nigeria, Maslaha Seeds has built an extensive outgrower network, breeding program and capacity building services for smallholder farmers. The company has an Agripreneur Program, through which it trains next-generation smallholders to share good agricultural practices and farm business skills with other youth.
See scorecardEstablished in 2002 as a biotech startup, Metahelix continues to have a strong focus on trait development, such as improving the micronutrient content in millet. The company is active in seed for field crops, vegetables and cotton. It has operations in India and Indonesia.
See scorecardIntegration of Monsanto into Bayer is ongoing, including its high number of local breeding and production activities. Through Monsanto’s royalty-free license to the Water Efficient Maize for Africa project, 23 African seed companies have released 90 drought-tolerant maize hybrids in five countries
See scorecardNAFASO works with West Africa Food Markets as a signatory on a project to increase the production and commercialization of maize, millet and sorghum varieties to tackle food security issues in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Niger. It also collaborates with the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa to offer extension services for seed producers. It is these partnerships that distinguish NAFASO from the lowest ranking companies in the index.
See scorecardOne of the best scoring regional seed companies, Namdhari Seeds has extensive distribution channels in seven countries in the region and services remote areas in all of them. It is one of the few companies that reports programs specifically targeting women smallholder farmers.
See scorecardNankosem performs strongly, in part because of its membership in the Novalliance. With operations exclusively in Burkina Faso, the company has 13 stores nationwide, with seed production and research stations to complement its import and distribution of vegetable seeds and other agricultural products.
See scorecardActive in Uganda, its home market, Burundi and Rwanda as well as the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, NASECO demonstrates strong involvement of local farmer groups in its breeding, production and training programs in all these countries.
See scorecardThe Indian National Seeds Corporation offers a wide and diverse portfolio, encompassing around 600 varieties of 60 crops, including both hybrid and open-pollinated varieties for almost all crops. A lack of overall disclosure means it ranks low in the index.
See scorecardThis South Korean research-driven vegetable seed company has global ambitions and a growing presence in smallholder markets in South and Southeast Asia. However, details of how it aims to serve smallholder farmers are currently limited.
See scorecardNuziveedu Seeds ranks among the highest in Research & Development, in part for its attention to breeding traits specific to the needs of smallholder farmers and incorporating local feedback. It reports that its extension services reach 40,000 farmers in Uttar Pradesh, India annually.
See scorecardBased in the Netherlands, vegetable seed company Pop Vriend Seeds has extensive distribution channels in sub-Saharan Africa. It produces seed in Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania and also offers extension services in these three countries.
See scorecardPremier Seed demonstrates strengths in research and development, marketing sorghum and maize varieties from its own breeding program throughout Nigeria, the only country where it is active. The company also has a rice production scheme, the Rice Special Program, organizing regular area meetings to engage and train the smallholder growers it employs.
See scorecardPunjab Seed Corporation markets a broad portfolio of field crop and vegetable seed through established distribution channels, with over 1,500 agro-dealers in Punjab, Pakistan. A lack of overall disclosure means it ranks low in the index.
See scorecardRijk Zwaan is a Dutch family-owned vegetable breeding company with global reach. Its Afrisem breeding program in Tanzania introduced its first African eggplant varieties for the African market in 2017. It also has breeding stations in India and Vietnam.
See scorecardSakata is a leading seed company from Japan, specialized in vegetable and ornamental seed and vegetative cuttings. Strongly rooted in Asia, it has activities in all index regions where it works with local dealers, shops and traders to reach smallholder farmers in remote areas.
See scorecardA Senegalese company specializing in the production and export of groundnut, maize, rice and potato, SEDAB assigns accountability for smallholder strategies at the board level and offers contracts to smallholder farmers.
See scorecardSeed Co was founded in Zimbabwe and is now headquartered in South Africa. It is the African seed company with the most extensive breeding, production and sales network, and the widest geographic reach in agronomic training. It focuses on field crops and collaborates with Limagrain in vegetables.
See scorecardSemagri operates exclusively in Cameroon, developing and marketing improved varieties of vegetable seed. The company is involved in discussions around the development of a national seed catalog, a key instrument in the release of improved plant varieties in the country.
See scorecardActive in several countries throughout the region, SOPROSA collaborates with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation on farmer training and with the World Bank in the context of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program. The company has breeding and seed production activities in Mali, its home country, and primarily markets varieties from public research institutes.
See scorecardSouth African company Starke Ayres has the broadest breeding program for vegetable crops in the region, which covers traits beneficial for smallholder farmers. The company has its own ISTA accredited laboratory and a well-established quality assurance mechanism.
See scorecardSyngenta sets an example with its Good Growth Plan, which includes clear targets and transparent reporting. The affiliated non-profit Syngenta Foundation focuses specifically on pre-commercial farmers. The company was acquired by ChemChina in 2017.
See scorecardTakii is a leading vegetable and flower breeding company from Japan with a worldwide reach. The company has a strong focus on South and Southeast Asia, where it runs well-established distribution channels and encouraging programs in seed production.
See scorecardA specialized vegetable seed company, Technisem focuses mostly on Western and Central Africa and has only recently moved into Eastern and Southern Africa. It is the only company that has a breeding station in Madagascar.
See scorecardA member of the Novalliance, Tropicasem operates exclusively in Senegal, where smallholder farmers constitute its entire customer base. The company has breeding activities and provides farmers with soil kits. It also promotes My Agri, an app with agronomic guides developed especially for smallholders.
See scorecardRanking at the top of the index, Value Seeds has capacity building activities that target women smallholder farmers as well as breeding activities in Nigeria. The company stands out for its ‘Value Kits’ for maize, and RKits for rice, all-in-one input packages for smallholder farmers.
See scorecardVictoria Seeds offers a broad portfolio of field crop and vegetables seeds in Uganda and a smaller number of maize and rice varieties outside of its home market. The company demonstrates leadership for its corporate commitment to female farmer empowerment.
See scorecardVinaseed plays a key role in developing the seed sector and supporting smallholder farmer productivity in Vietnam. The company scores well on seed production, specifically on quality management, labor standards and providing training to seed production farmers.
See scorecardZamseed has sales, breeding and production activities in its home market Zambia and sells seed in surrounding countries. It is one of the few companies that reports being involved in breeding for legumes such as cowpea, chickpea and pigeon pea.
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