FORAGE SEED MARKET ANALYSIS

Regional Analysis

Market Outlook:

North America held the largest market share of the forage seed market, in terms of value in 2016. Market growth of this region is attributed to increasing demand for forage products, which is fuelled by the increasing livestock population for meat. According to the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, animal feed production in the U.S. increased by 10% for sheep, 6.6% for cattle, and 3.7% for pigs in December 2017 compared to December 2016. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, the total meat production in the U.S. and Canada for the year 2014 was pegged at 42.56 Mn Tons and 4.38 Mn Tons, respectively. Forage in the region is mostly utilized by landowners to help them manage soil fertility, grazing, and hay production in addition to brush & weed control in pastures and hay fields. Governments in the region are focusing on initiatives, in order to enhance production of alfalfa in the region. For instance, in February 2018, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) invested US$ 2.1 million on R&D programs, which seek to improve alfalfa forage yield and adopt best practices pertaining to its cultivation. These programs are being organized under the Alfalfa and Forage Research Program (AFRP).

According to European Seed Certification Agencies Association (ESCAA), the total area cultivated with forage seeds in Europe was 373,040 hectares in 2016, which was a 15% increase over the previous year. Forage is used to feed domesticated animals, which are reared for their meat and milk. According to the European Dairy Association, the European Union accounted for a quarter of the world’s milk production in 2016.

Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region in the forage seeds market. China and India are the leading countries in the region, owing to increasing demand for meat products in the region. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), China is the major producer of pork meat with around 31.3 kg/capita pork meat produced in 2016, followed by poultry and beef.