Leading Global Molecular Breeding Companies in 2025

Published Date : 2025-Apr-11

The global molecular breeding market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 18.3%, from USD 4.76 billion in 2024 to USD 18.25 billion in 2032. This growth is driven by genomic innovation, CRISPR applications, increased agricultural productivity needs, and rising investment in precision breeding technologies. North America and Europe dominate the market, with Asia-Pacific emerging rapidly due to large-scale agricultural initiatives.

Here's a breakdown of the top global players dominating the molecular breeding market in 2025: Eurofins Scientific, Illumina, Bayer AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific, SGS SA, Intertek, LemnaTec GmbH, Slipstream Automation And Others.


 

Market Scope and Definition:

The use of cutting-edge biotechnological methods, mainly DNA-based markers and molecular genetics, to improve the breeding and production of crops with particular and desired features is what the molecular breeding market is all about. In the field of agriculture, molecular breeding is a game-changing technique that makes it possible to precisely modify a plant's genetic composition to produce better traits including greater yield, improved nutritional value, and heightened resistance to environmental stresses. Fundamentally, molecular breeding is the process of identifying and choosing particular genes linked to desired characteristics in order to enable a more focused and effective breeding procedure. By allowing breeders to work at the molecular level and influence traits with a level of accuracy that was previously unattainable, this technology goes beyond standard breeding practices. Molecular markers are DNA sequences linked to certain qualities that facilitate the selection of desired genetic traits and speed up the development of crops with desired characteristics. The scope of the Molecular Breeding Market encompasses a wide range of crops, including major staples like cereals, fruits, and vegetables, as well as specialty crops with unique characteristics. This innovative approach is instrumental in addressing global challenges in agriculture, such as the need to increase food production to meet the demands of a growing population, adapt crops to changing environmental conditions, and enhance nutritional profiles to address public health concerns. For instance,

  • In November 2022, Targenomix was purchased by Germany-based pharmaceutical and biotechnology business Bayer AG for an unknown sum. By incorporating cutting-edge computational life science methods, this acquisition broadens, diversifies, and enhances molecular breeding technology. This will hasten the discovery of promising molecules for the agricultural production of plants resistant to weeds, insects, and diseases.

Molecular Breeding Companies

    Eurofins Scientific SE
Founded: 1987
Headquarters: Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
Employees: Approx. 62,000
Revenue 2024: Approx. $6.8 Billion
Regional Reach: Global, with strong presence in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Profile: Eurofins is a global leader in laboratory services, specializing in analytical testing for food, environment, pharmaceuticals, and genomics. In the agricultural space, Eurofins is at the forefront of molecular breeding, offering services such as DNA marker analysis, genomic selection, and phenotyping for crop and seed improvement.

 

    Illumina Inc.
Founded: 1998
Headquarters: San Diego, California, USA
Employees: Approx. 11,500
Revenue 2024: Approx. $4.7 Billion
Regional Reach: Strong market in North America, growing in APAC and Europe.

Profile: Illumina is a global biotechnology company and a leader in genomic sequencing and array-based technologies. Its platforms are foundational to molecular breeding, enabling researchers and breeders to analyze plant and animal genomes with unprecedented depth and speed. From SNP genotyping to whole-genome sequencing, Illumina tools are critical in trait discovery, marker-assisted selection, and genomic prediction.

 

    Bayer AG (Crop Science Division)
Founded: 1863
Headquarters: Leverkusen, Germany
Employees: Approx. 101,000 (Crop Science: Approx. 30,000)
Revenue 2024 (Crop Science): Approx. $19 Billion
Regional Reach: Global, especially in North America, Latin America, and Europe.

Profile: Bayer is a German multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company with a major focus on agriculture biotechnology through its Crop Science division. Since acquiring Monsanto in 2018, Bayer has become one of the world’s most powerful players in genomic breeding, CRISPR-based trait development, and seed technology.

 

    Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Founded: 2006 (merger)
Headquarters: Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
Employees: Approx. 130,000
Revenue 2024: Approx. $40 Billion
Regional Reach: Global operations across pharma, agriculture, and diagnostics.

Profile: Thermo Fisher Scientific is a leading global provider of scientific instrumentation, reagents, consumables, and software services. While not a seed or agri-biotech company, Thermo Fisher plays a critical enabling role in molecular breeding by supplying tools used in genotyping, PCR, NGS, and molecular marker detection—essential steps in trait mapping and genomic selection.

 

    SGS SA (Société Générale de Surveillance)
Founded: 1878
Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland
Employees: Approx. 97,000
Revenue 2024: Approx. $7 Billion
Regional Reach: Strong in Europe and Latin America, expanding in Asia.

Profile: SGS is a Swiss multinational company, the world's leading inspection, verification, testing, and certification company. While it is not a genomics tool developer or seed company, it is deeply involved in molecular breeding through testing, regulatory validation, and analytical support for GMOs, traits, and seed purity.

SGS’s agricultural division has seen rising demand with increasing regulatory scrutiny over genetically modified crops, and the global need for trait purity and traceability in molecular breeding programs.

 

    Intertek Group plc
Founded: 1885
Headquarters: London, UK
Employees: Approx. 44,000
Revenue 2024: Approx. $4 Billion
Regional Reach: Global, especially strong in Asia and Europe.
Profile: Specializes in testing, certification, and DNA marker analysis for agricultural commodities.

Intertek is a global leader in Assurance, Testing, Inspection and Certification (ATIC) services, and DNA marker analysis for agricultural commodities. While not directly involved in developing genomics tools, Intertek plays a crucial role in validating molecular breeding outputs, particularly in seed testing, GMO certification, and bioanalytical compliance.

Seed and crop testing labs support DNA marker validation and trait purity analysis.

Offers biosafety and regulatory testing for genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

Provides pesticide residue, mycotoxin, and plant DNA profiling services.

Supports compliance audits for gene-edited crops across global markets.

 

    LemnaTec GmbH
Founded: 1998
Headquarters: Aachen, Germany
Employees: <100
Revenue 2024: Estimated Approx. $25 Million
Regional Reach: Europe and expanding to North America and APAC.

Profile: LemnaTec is a German-based agri-tech firm known for its cutting-edge phenotyping platforms that complement molecular breeding workflows. While not a seed or biotech company per se, LemnaTec plays a critical role by providing image-based plant analysis tools that enable non-destructive monitoring of plant traits, a crucial step in precision breeding and genomics-assisted selection.

 

    Slipstream Automation
Founded: Estimated 2015
Headquarters: Presumed Australia
Employees: <50
Revenue 2024: Estimated <$10 Million
Regional Reach: Niche market in Oceania and research institutions.

Profile: Slipstream Automation appears to be a niche automation technology provider that develops advanced robotics and AI platforms to support plant phenotyping, breeding trial monitoring, and agriculture lab automation. While not a genomics company itself, it contributes to molecular breeding by enhancing throughput and precision in crop screening and trait measurement workflows.

 

Regional Analysis of the Molecular Breeding Market

Region

Key Countries

Market Insights

North America

USA, Canada, Mexico

Largest market share; tech-driven molecular breeding, strong R&D investment.

Europe

Germany, UK, France, Italy

Strong regulatory backing and seed innovation hubs.

Asia-Pacific

China, India, Japan, Australia

Fastest growth due to population pressure and genomic tech adoption.

Latin America

Brazil, Argentina

Genomic breeding for cash crops (soybean, maize).

MEA

South Africa, UAE, Saudi Arabia

 

 

North America

  • Leading Region driven by U.S. genomic investments, high adoption of CRISPR/Cas9, and agriculture biotech startups.
  • Focus: Corn, soybeans, wheat.

Europe

  • Stronghold in biotech regulations, government R&D funding.
  • Focus: Barley, sugar beets, potatoes.

Asia-Pacific

  • Fastest growing region due to high population, tech adoption, and food demand.
  • Focus: Rice, millet, pulses.

South America

  • Brazil and Argentina leading in genetically improved soy and maize.
  • Focus: Soybean export.

Middle East & Africa

  • Emerging players; increasing interest in drought-resistant crop tech.

 

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