Market Trends of alfalfa seed Industry
North America and Asia Pacific dominated the area under cultivation of alfalfa with increased livestock population
- Alfalfa is one of the major crops cultivated globally due to the high demand from the feed processing industry to feed livestock, especially cattle. To meet this high demand for alfalfa-based feed, the area cultivated for alfalfa was 31.5 million hectares in 2022, which increased by 4.5% during 2017-2022. Moreover, the crop accounted for 39.2% of the area under cultivation of forage crops in 2022.
- North America has a higher area under cultivation of alfalfa in 2022, with 11.5 million hectares, which increased by 5.5% during 2017-2022. The increase in area is attributed to the increasing investments and support from the Canadian government to increase the region's feed production and livestock population. For instance, ruminant population increased by 1.9% from 2017 to 2022, with the number of buffaloes and cattle rising from 155.1 million to 158.6 million during the same period.
- In Asia-Pacific, the area under alfalfa cultivation was 6.4 million hectares in 2022. Major Alfalfa growing countries in the region are China, Australia, and India. Among these, China held the major market share, which accounted for 76.8% of the area under Asia-Pacific alfalfa cultivation in 2022.
- The government developed an action plan in China to enhance dairy and alfalfa production. It provided USD 71.3 million in support programs to develop 33.0 thousand hectares of alfalfa alongside a subsidy of USD 86.11 per square meter for alfalfa farms over 200 hectares. Thus, these measures increase the cultivation of alfalfa in the region.
- Due to an increase in livestock population and rising demand for dairy products, the cultivation area has been increasing.
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Rising adoption of disease resistant, wider adaptability, and drought resistant alfalfa seeds for high yield during adverse climatic conditions
- Globally, alfalfa is a majorly cultivated forage crop. The high-demand traits of the crop are disease-resistant, insect-resistant, and wider adaptability for improving the quality of the feed/silage for the livestock industry. Furthermore, other traits such as increasing protein content, growing throughout the seasons, and reducing lignin content are expected to gain popularity in the future for increasing forage quality.
- Wider adaptability is the most adopted trait in the global market, especially South America, as it accounted for 35.4% in 2022 in the region. It was most adopted because of the changing agro-climatic conditions, field stress, and growing crops in different regions. Companies such as Bayer, DLF, and Barenbrug have developed different alfalfa varieties in the United Kingdom, such as DKC 3218, DKC 3204, Debalto, and Marcamo. These varieties can withstand diverse environmental conditions, adapt to various soil types, and withstand field stress and heat conditions. Furthermore, the EU Commission's REFORMA project (2016-2020) aims to develop advanced breeding techniques and introduce new alfalfa cultivars.
- Disease tolerance, high starch content, and drought tolerance are other traits in high demand. Ampac Seed Company (Attention II), Land O’Lakes (Round-up Ready), KWS SAAT SE & Co. KGaG (HarvXtra, Standfast), Bayer Crop Science (DEKALB), Syngenta AG (NEXGROW), and DLF (Fortune) are companies proving seed varieties that have resistance to diseases such as Colletotrichum trifolii, and verticillium wilt. Factors such as the increased demand for improving animal feed, many benefits such as disease resistance, and increasing yield are expected to drive the market's growth during the forecast period.
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OTHER KEY INDUSTRY TRENDS COVERED IN THE REPORT
- Hybrid breeding occupied the higher share owing to the demand for high yielding varieties from feed processing industries.
