Agricultural Biotechnology Market to Reach $137.0 Billion by 2031

“According to BCC Research, the global agricultural biotechnology market is projected to grow from $91.5 billion in 2026 to $137 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 8.4%, driven by increasing biotech crop cultivation, growing investment and rising demand for climate-resilient agriculture.”

Boston, Oct. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global agricultural biotechnology market is projected to grow from $84.7 billion in 2025 to $137.0 billion by 2031, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.4% over the forecast period 2026–2031, according to the newly published BCC Research report, Agricultural Biotechnology: Emerging Technologies and Global Markets. BCC Research identifies accelerating GM crop adoption, mounting food security pressures, and expanding investment in next-generation biotech solutions as the primary forces reshaping this critical sector.

Key Findings

• The global agricultural biotechnology market is valued at $84.7 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach $137.0 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 8.4%, driven by the convergence of population growth, land scarcity, and the commercial scaling of precision biotech tools across crop and livestock systems.
• North America holds the largest regional share at 42.2%, underpinned by an established regulatory infrastructure, a dominant commercial seed industry, and high farmer adoption rates of GM crop varieties across key commodity crops including corn, soybean, and cotton.
• Decreasing availability of agricultural land is intensifying the need for higher-yielding biotech solutions, with land degradation now affecting approximately 18.1 million square kilometers globally. As a global population projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050 strains finite arable land, adoption of biotech crops capable of delivering yield stability under constrained conditions becomes commercially imperative.
• Food security demand is creating structural tailwinds for high-yield and climate-resilient crop development, with approximately 870 million people currently lacking adequate food access and global food demand expected to rise between 70% and 100% by 2050, accelerating the commercialization of nutritionally enhanced and stress-tolerant biotech varieties.
• Emerging markets, particularly China and India, represent significant near-term growth opportunities: China expanded GM corn cultivation nearly fivefold in 2025 and approved 17 new GM and gene-edited varieties, while India's BioE3 Policy is actively incentivizing climate-resilient agriculture and biomanufacturing — signaling a decisive regulatory shift in two of the world's largest agricultural economies.
• Key players active in this market include Bayer AG, BASF, Syngenta AG, Corteva Inc., Illumina Inc., Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Novozymes, Pairwise Plants, FMC Corporation, Zoetis, Elanco Animal Health, Boehringer Ingelheim, Agilent Technologies, Ceva Santé Animale, BioAtlantis Ltd., Rasi Seeds, and Stine Seed Co.

Market Drivers

The agricultural biotechnology market is supported by intersecting structural forces that are compressing the timeline for biotech adoption. Global land degradation, climate volatility, and population-driven food demand are creating a supply-side crisis that conventional agriculture is increasingly ill-equipped to address. Biotech crops — offering improved yield stability, reduced pesticide dependency, and enhanced nutritional profiles — are moving from supplementary tools to foundational components of modern food production systems. The growing cultivation of GM crops globally is simultaneously generating recurring revenue streams from premium seed traits while validating biotech economics for smallholder and commercial farmers alike.
On the demand side, continuous R&D investment, public funding, and cross-sector partnerships are expanding product pipelines in biotech seeds, biologicals, and precision genomic tools. The shift toward carbon-negative and regenerative agriculture is also opening a new commercial frontier: biotech-enabled biological inputs — including biopesticides, biofertilizers, and biostimulants — are gaining traction as carbon markets and sustainability-linked incentive structures reward reduced synthetic input use. Emerging technologies including CRISPR-Cas9, prime and base editing, synthetic biology, biofortification, RNA-based crop protection, and microbial agricultural inputs are positioned to drive the next phase of product differentiation and margin expansion across the sector.

Investment Considerations

For investors, the agricultural biotechnology market presents a compelling long-duration growth thesis anchored in demographic inevitability and regulatory momentum. North America remains the most mature and immediately addressable market, but the accelerating policy pivot in China and India opens access to scale that could materially re-rate growth trajectories for companies with emerging market exposure. Investors should weigh upside in precision genomics platforms, biological inputs, and gene-edited trait licensing against risks including fragmented global GMO regulation — notably Russia's cultivation ban since 2016 and restrictive frameworks across parts of Asia and Africa — complex IP commercialization costs, and persistent affordability barriers limiting smallholder uptake. Companies with diversified biotech portfolios, strong regulatory affairs capabilities, and established distribution in high-adoption markets — including Bayer AG, Corteva Inc., Syngenta AG, and Novozymes — appear best positioned to capture disproportionate share as the market scales toward $137.0 billion.

About the Report

Agricultural Biotechnology: Emerging Technologies and Global Markets provides comprehensive market sizing, segmentation analysis, competitive intelligence, and forecasts across the global agricultural biotechnology landscape for the period 2025–2031.

About BCC Research

BCC Research provides objective, unbiased measurement and assessment of market opportunities with detailed market research reports. Our experienced industry analysts assess growth trends, identify and evaluate new and changing market opportunities, and provide critical information and innovative decision support tools to help inform the strategic decision-making process.
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