Gitnux/Report 2026

Agro Industry Statistics

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.9 points in October 2026, explore growth, companies and trends shaping agro in 2026.
309Statistics
93Sources
12Sections
1Visuals
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November 11, 2026Updated
Agro Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The agro industry at a glance

Global agriculture generated $4.2 trillion in value added in 2024 as output expanded despite climate, trade and input-cost pressures. Agricultural value-added growth reached 3.1% in 2024, while OECD–FAO expects production to expand 13% over 2026–2035 with most gains from productivity.

$4.2T[19]
Global agricultural value added, 2024
3.1%[19]
Agricultural value-added growth, 2024
3.1 Gt[19]
Global cereals production, 2024
56%[12]
U.S. exports going to top five markets, 2025
Market size
Global agricultural value added reached $4.2 trillion in 2024, up from $4.1 trillion in 2023. The broader World Bank measure covering agriculture, forestry and fishing recorded $4.75 trillion in current-price value added in 2025.[19][81]
Forecast & CAGR
The OECD–FAO Agricultural Outlook 2026–2035 projects global agricultural production to expand by 13% over the decade, equivalent to approximately 1.2% per year if annualized. Productivity gains are expected to provide most of the increase.[8]
Market share & regions
In 2025, East Asia and the Pacific accounted for $1.86 trillion of global agriculture, forestry and fishing value added, compared with $643.8 billion in Europe and Central Asia and $502.9 billion in Latin America and the Caribbean. The five largest global agricultural exporters in 2025 were the European Union, United States, Brazil, China and Canada.[81][12]
Segmentation
Primary production is divided mainly between crops and livestock. In 2024, global cereals output reached 3.1 billion tonnes, oil-crop output reached 1.2 billion tonnes, meat production reached 374 million tonnes, and milk production reached 985 million tonnes.[19]
Key players & concentration
Agricultural trade is concentrated among a small group of large economies: the top five global exporters in 2025 were the European Union, United States, Brazil, China and Canada. USDA reports that more than one-third of global agricultural-trade value is concentrated among several large economies.[12]
Pricing
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.9 points in October 2026, down 1.2% from September but 5.9% above October 2025 and 16.4% below its March 2022 peak. Sugar prices rose 6.6% month on month and 28.8% year on year.[19]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Production growth is increasingly productivity-led: global cereal yields are projected to rise by 0.9% annually through 2034, while cereal production is projected to grow by about 1.1% annually. Climate and environmental pressures remain material; global agrifood-system emissions reached 18.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2024, while cropland expansion accounted for about 72% of forest-land loss.[8][19]
Consumer behavior & competition
Rising incomes in middle-income economies are expected to increase consumption and production of animal-source foods over the coming decade. Competition remains internationally diversified: U.S. agricultural exports totaled $171 billion in 2025, with 56% shipped to its five largest markets.[8][12]
M&A
Consolidation continued in agribusiness in 2025 and 2026. Bunge completed its merger with Viterra on July 2, 2025, while BASF Agricultural Solutions completed its acquisition of AgBiTech on March 31, 2026, expanding its biological-agriculture portfolio.[82][83]
Regulation
Agriculture is increasingly shaped by land-use and sustainability policy. In 2024, 351 million hectares were equipped for irrigation, equal to about 22% of global cropland, while organic agriculture covered 121 million hectares and cropland expansion accounted for approximately 72% of forest-land loss.[19]
Latest news
FAO’s November 6, 2026 update forecasts 2026 world cereal production at 2,999 million tonnes, the second-highest level on record, while 2026/27 cereal trade is expected to contract 3.3% to 507.7 million tonnes. The update also reported 41 countries requiring external food assistance.[19]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Agro Industry

The leading companies in the agro industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

Cargill stands out for agricultural trading and processing because it delivers food and agricultural solutions across 70 countries and 125 markets, while Bunge focuses on oilseeds, grains, food, feed and biofuels since it reported 32.5% revenue growth and a 2.2% operating margin.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in agricultural trading & processing

    Cargill

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.6 · Agricultural trading & processing

    Why we picked it: Its global food and agricultural footprint spans 70 countries and 125 markets.

    See in ranking ↓Visit cargill.com ↗

  2. Leader in oilseeds, grains & biofuels

    Bunge

    US

    Ranked #2 · 9.5 · Oilseeds, grains & biofuels

    Why we picked it: Its oilseeds, grains, food, feed and biofuels operations show a 32.5% revenue growth and 2.2% operating margin.

    See in ranking ↓Visit bunge.com ↗

  3. Leader in seeds & crop protection

    Corteva Agriscience

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.0 · Seeds & crop protection

    Why we picked it: Seed and crop-protection coverage across more than 100 crops is backed by an 8% R&D intensity.

    See in ranking ↓Visit corteva.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the agro industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

Cargill

Agricultural trading & processing · US

9.6
2

Bunge

Oilseeds, grains & biofuels · US

9.5
3

Corteva Agriscience

Seeds & crop protection · US

9.0
4

JBS

Beef, pork & poultry · BR

9.0
5

Louis Dreyfus Company

Agricultural trading & processing · NL

9.0
6

Syngenta Group

Crop protection, seeds and agricultural technology · CH

8.8
7

Mosaic

Phosphate and potash crop nutrients · US

8.3
8

ADM

Agricultural origination, processing and nutrition · US

8.3
9

Deere

Agricultural machinery and precision agriculture · US

8.3
10

CNH Industrial

Agricultural machinery and precision agriculture · GB

7.6

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the agro industry. In Agro Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/agro-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Milk production by leading country

India leads with 21%.

India21%
United States of America11%
Pakistan7%
China6%
Brazil4%
France4%
source-verifiedopenknowledge.fao.org

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

U.S. digital agronomy adoption is measurable at 61% of farmers adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024. Robotics, cloud computing and IoT uptake show a steady shift across farms and agrifood businesses.

AI in the agro industry

  • Nearly 50% of U.S. farmers and ranchers use general-purpose AI with some regularity, according to a 2026 survey.[1]
  • 56% of row-crop growers used digital agronomy for yield monitoring in 2024.[2]
  • 110,000 farmers in Africa, Asia and South America had used the Darli AI farming chatbot by 2024.[3]
  • 27 languages were supported by Farmerline’s Darli AI chatbot in 2024.[3]
  • 60% of North American farmers used yield monitoring as a digital-agronomy application in 2024.[2]
  • 49% of Latin American farmers used yield monitoring as a digital-agronomy application in 2024.[2]

Automation in the agro industry

  • 12.7% of surveyed German farms and contractors planned to use field robots in 2023.[4]
  • Agricultural robot installations increased 21% in 2023.[5]
  • 14,000 automated milking robots were estimated to operate on French farms in 2023.[6]
  • 40.9% of surveyed German farms and contractors used farm-management information systems or decision-support systems in 2023.[4]
  • 600 agricultural robots operated on French crop farms in 2023, up from about 100 in 2018.[6]
  • 7,000 agricultural service robots were installed globally in 2021.[5]

Digital Transformation in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across the EU agri-food industrial ecosystem, 20% of companies had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[7]
  • In the United States, 61% of farmers reported adopting digital agronomy technologies in 2024.[2]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 15.4% had high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 13.0% in 2021.[7]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 51.2% had very low digital intensity in 2023, down from 55.1% in 2021.[7]
  • Among EU food-manufacturing enterprises, 3.4% had very high digital intensity in 2023, compared with 2.1% in 2021.[7]

Technology Adoption in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU farms with utilised agricultural area, about 18% used some form of precision-farming technology or practice in 2023.[8]
  • In Germany, 85.5% of surveyed farms used at least one digital technology in 2024–2025.[8]
  • In Chile, 12% of agricultural production units reported using a technological tool such as mobile applications, drones, or sensors in 2021.[8]
  • In Canada, 84% of field-crop operations used GPS equipment in 2021.[8]
  • Across EU farms, 43% had internet access, 11% used farm-management information systems, and 7% used robotics in 2023.[8]
  • In Czechia, 30% of crop-production farmers used at least one precision-agriculture technology in 2023.[8]

Cloud Computing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 26% used cloud computing in 2023.[7]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 37% used cloud computing in 2024, up from 26% in 2023.[7]
  • Among EU large businesses, 78% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023, compared with 44% of SMEs.[9]
  • Across EU businesses, 45% purchased cloud-computing services in 2023.[9]

Big Data in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 13% used big-data technologies in 2024, compared with 17% in 2023.[7]
  • Across EU agri-food businesses, 17% used big-data technologies in 2023.[7]
  • In Germany, 5.0% of surveyed farms used artificial-intelligence or big-data technologies in 2024–2025.[8]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

The agriculture-analytics market reached $3.6 billion in 2025. Across operators, data accuracy and governance gaps remain visible, with manufacturing reporting low AI readiness and poor-quality data challenges.

Business intelligence in the agro industry

  • 27% of U.S. producers identified data accuracy as a most-important technology requirement in 2024.[10]
  • 74% of U.S. producers identified cost effectiveness as a most-important requirement for adopting new agricultural technology in 2024.[10]
  • 13% of U.S. producers preferred to wait until agricultural technology was proven in the market in 2024.[10]
  • 33% of U.S. producers identified a user-friendly interface as a most-important technology requirement in 2024.[10]
  • 46% of U.S. producers cited technology purchase cost as a barrier to smart-farming adoption in 2024.[10]
  • 58% of U.S. producers agreed that smart-farming technology gives them a competitive advantage in 2024.[10]

Data analytics in the agro industry

  • 3.6 billion dollars was the global agriculture-analytics market size in 2025.[11]
  • 52% of midsize U.S. farms used guidance autosteering systems in 2023.[12]
  • 39.2% was North America’s share of global agriculture-analytics market revenue in 2025.[11]
  • 36% of surveyed agribusinesses based 51% to 75% of organizational decisions on data analytics in 2020.[13]
  • 18% of agribusinesses that based over three-quarters of decisions on analytics reported collecting only some data in 2020.[13]
  • 2% of surveyed agribusinesses based none of their organizational decisions on data analytics in 2020.[13]

Data Quality in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of manufacturing respondents rated their operational data as having low AI readiness in 2024, meaning it was insufficiently labeled, contextualized, governed or accessible.[14]
  • 30% of manufacturing respondents identified poor-quality data as one of their top three challenges when working with AI-related data in 2024.[14]
  • 44% of manufacturers reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025, according to a survey of manufacturing organizations.[15]
  • 41% of manufacturers said they distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025, reflecting persistent data-quality concerns in production and procurement.[15]
  • 42% of manufacturers reported having a process to verify operational data accuracy or quality in 2025, indicating that most lacked a formal validation process.[14]

Data Governance in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of supply-management organizations reported having a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, while 90% agreed that data governance was necessary.[16]
  • 69% of food and beverage companies still relied on spreadsheets and email for core operations in 2025, limiting standardized access and control of business data.[17]
  • 15% of manufacturers said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024, while 31% said it was very closely aligned.[14]
  • 61% of manufacturers reported having a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal guidelines for how data is collected, organized, accessed and used in 2024.[14]
  • 40% of food and beverage professionals worldwide identified disconnected systems and data as their biggest barrier to moving faster in 2026.[17]
  • 6% of food and beverage leaders reported fully integrated digital systems in 2025, despite 82% saying technology adoption was a strategic priority.[17]

KPIs in the agro industry

  • 28% of surveyed farms had documented goals and objectives in 2023.[18]
  • 47% of surveyed farms had audit systems to assure financial-statement integrity in 2023.[18]
  • 45% of surveyed farms used budget projections and performance reports regularly in 2023.[18]
  • 41% of surveyed farms had defined mission, vision, and values in 2023.[18]
  • 33% of surveyed farms prepared balance sheets reflecting cost, market values, and deferred tax liability in 2023.[18]
  • 90% of surveyed farms prepared balance sheets and income statements annually in 2023.[18]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Global agricultural-sector value-added growth was 3.1% from 2023 to 2024, reaching $4.2 trillion. Regional performance differs, including a European contraction in 2024.

Growth in the agro industry

  • 3.1% was global agricultural-sector value-added growth from 2023 to 2024, reaching $4.2 trillion worldwide.[19]
  • 3.6% was agricultural value-added growth in Asia from 2023 to 2024.[19]
  • 2.0% was the contraction in European agricultural value added from 2023 to 2024.[19]
  • 6.4% was agricultural value-added growth in Oceania from 2023 to 2024.[19]
  • 5.6% was Eastern Europe’s agricultural value-added growth in 2023 before a 3.4% contraction in 2024.[19]
  • $238.4 billion was generated by U.S. crop cash receipts in 2025.[12]

Differentiation in the agro industry

  • 79% was the increase in U.S. certified-organic cropland from 2011 to 2021, reaching 3.6 million acres.[12]
  • $1.818 billion was U.S. organic milk sales in 2025, making milk the leading certified-organic commodity.[20]
  • More than 20% was the retail price premium found for 17 of 18 analyzed organic products.[12]
  • $1.790 billion was U.S. organic egg sales in 2025.[20]
  • 27% of surveyed U.S. commercial producers had adopted drone technology by 2023.[13]
  • $1.775 billion was U.S. organic broiler sales in 2025.[20]

Mergers and acquisitions in the agro industry

  • $44.42 billion was the value of agricultural-products-and-services M&A transactions in 2022.[21]
  • 847 agricultural-products-and-services M&A transactions were recorded globally in 2021.[21]
  • $61.25 billion was the value of agricultural-products-and-services M&A transactions in 2021.[21]
  • 26 North American agronomy M&A transactions were reported in 2024, compared with 16 in 2023.[22]
  • 119 agricultural-products-and-services M&A deals worth $2.8 billion were announced globally in the first quarter of 2024.[21]
  • 19,521 agricultural-products-and-services transactions were announced worldwide from 1985 through the first quarter of 2024.[21]

Strategic partnerships in the agro industry

  • 30,000 farmers is the target reach of the Louis Dreyfus Company–Nature Conservancy collaboration by 2030.[23]
  • 44 private-sector partnerships were active in FAO’s 2024 partnership portfolio, including 2 new and 6 renewed agreements.[24]
  • 24% of FAO’s 2024 partnerships contributed to a better environment.[24]
  • 72 academia-and-research partnerships were active in FAO’s 2024 partnership portfolio, including 2 new and 12 renewed agreements.[24]
  • 26% of FAO’s 2024 partnerships contributed to better life.[24]
  • 28 new strategic partnerships were forged by IICA in 2024 with agricultural, research, financial and development organizations.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Remote-work adoption is present but uneven, with agriculture and food employers reporting 35% offering some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024. Workforce engagement is tracked in a 2026 benchmark for the agriculture industry.

Hiring in the agro industry

  • 49% of Australian agribusinesses recruited international candidates in the 2025 recruitment review.[26]
  • 3.7% was the 2025 job-vacancy rate in Canadian hog and pig farming.[27]
  • 6.2% was the 2025 job-vacancy rate in Canadian other animal production.[27]
  • 3.0% was the 2025 job-vacancy rate in Canadian animal production and aquaculture.[27]
  • 4.5% was the 2025 job-vacancy rate in Canadian vegetable and melon farming.[27]

Employee retention in the agro industry

  • 61% of surveyed Australian agribusiness employees had no plans to change roles.[28]
  • 18% of Australian agribusiness organizations reported that all turnover was employee-initiated in the 2025 review.[26]
  • 46% of Australian agribusiness organizations reported turnover above 10% in the 2025 review.[26]
  • 83% of Corteva employee-survey participants said they were proud to work at the company in 2024.[29]
  • 84% of Corteva employee-survey participants reported being highly engaged in 2024.[29]

Remote Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. crop and animal production, 14.4% of workers worked remotely in 2021, compared with 14.7% in 2019 and 15.4% in 2020.[30]
  • Across U.S. accommodation and food services, 4.8% of workers worked remotely in 2021, up from 1.9% in 2019 and 5.3% in 2020.[30]
  • Across U.S. agriculture and food employers, 35% offered some type of remote-work arrangement in 2024, according to AgCareers’ industry hiring report.[31]
  • Across U.S. agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting, about 12% of workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[32]

Hybrid Work in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 44% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred part-time remote work in 2024.[33]
  • 13% of Australian FMCG and agribusiness professionals preferred full-time on-site work in 2024.[33]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed globally in 2024, respondents averaged 2.1 work-at-home days per week.[34]
  • 84% of Australian agribusiness organisations planned no change to existing flexible or hybrid work arrangements in 2026.[35]
  • Among science-of-food professionals surveyed in 2024, 36% reported having no work-at-home days per week.[34]

Upskilling in the agro industry

  • 51.25% of surveyed U.S. agribusiness companies used certificate courses for staff development in 2021–2022.[36]
  • 20.4 average training hours per employee were reported by Almarai for 2024.[37]
  • 56.25% of surveyed U.S. agribusiness companies provided financial assistance for external study or tuition in 2021–2022.[36]
  • 67% of Australian agribusiness organizations provided financial assistance for external study in the 2025 review.[26]
  • 71.25% of surveyed U.S. agribusiness companies had onboarding programs in 2021–2022.[36]

Employee Engagement in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • At Europe Snacks, a multinational food manufacturer, employee engagement reached 79% across its international workforce and 88% in its UK business after a structured listening program.[38]
  • Manufacture, distribution and storage organizations recorded an average employee-engagement score of 72.9% in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[38]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 59.3% on leadership in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[38]
  • In the agriculture industry, employees averaged 7.68 out of 10 for engagement and an eNPS of +5 in CultureMonkey’s 2026 benchmark.[39]
  • Employees in manufacture, distribution and storage organizations scored 60.9% on enablement in People Insight’s global benchmark data.[38]

DEI in the agro industry

  • One-third of Australian agribusiness organizations reported zero diversity among senior management in the 2025 review.[26]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Demand for digital-first buying remains concrete, with 45% of U.S. farmers preferring purely digital interactions during initial research and product-reordering stages. Selling-time allocation shows closing sales at 9.3% in 2026.

Customer experience in the agro industry

  • 9.3% of agricultural salespeople’s selling time was spent closing sales in a 2026 study of business-to-farm selling.[40]
  • 6.4 out of 9 was the 2025 average rating U.S. producers gave to differences in dealers’ and retailers’ technical information and advice.[41]
  • 45% of U.S. farmers preferred purely digital interactions during initial research and product-reordering stages in an agricultural purchasing journey.[2]
  • 7.0 out of 9 was the 2025 average rating U.S. producers gave to differences in agricultural dealer and retailer service quality.[41]
  • More than 50% of large U.S. farmers viewed customized recommendations and adequate customer service as major challenges when purchasing online in 2022.[2]

Customer retention in the agro industry

  • 78.2% of U.S. farms selling directly to grocery stores reported 2020 sales that were similar to or greater than 2019 sales.[12]
  • 63% of U.S. farmers identified themselves as brand loyal for tractors, field equipment or combines in 2024.[42]
  • 69% of U.S. farms with direct sales through farmers markets reported 2020 sales that were similar to or greater than 2019 sales.[12]
  • 43% of beginning U.S. farmers reported that farm-store or community-supported-agriculture sales were greater in 2020 than in 2019.[12]
  • 39% of U.S. farms selling through farmers markets reported higher sales in 2020 than in 2019.[12]

Customer acquisition in the agro industry

  • 37.7% of U.S. direct food sales in 2022 were concentrated in California.[12]
  • 33.2% was the inflation-adjusted increase in U.S. farm sales through direct retail, institutional and intermediate channels between 2017 and 2022.[12]
  • 60,332 U.S. farm operations sold food through direct retail, institutional or intermediate channels in 2022, more than double the 2017 number.[12]
  • 25% was the inflation-adjusted increase in U.S. farm direct-marketing food sales between 2017 and 2022.[12]
  • $17.5 billion in food was sold through U.S. farm direct-marketing channels in 2022.[12]

Customer loyalty in the agro industry

  • 68% of U.S. crop producers reported loyalty to seed brands in Purdue’s large-commercial-producer survey.[43]
  • 37% of U.S. crop producers reported loyalty to fertilizer brands in Purdue’s large-commercial-producer survey.[43]
  • 47% of U.S. livestock producers reported loyalty to animal-feed brands in Purdue’s large-commercial-producer survey.[43]
  • 41% of U.S. crop producers reported loyalty to crop-protection brands in Purdue’s large-commercial-producer survey.[43]
  • 52% of U.S. crop producers reported loyalty to fertilizer dealers or retailers in Purdue’s large-commercial-producer survey.[43]

Lead generation in the agro industry

  • 8% of U.S. local food sales occurred through farmers markets in 2015.[12]
  • 79% was the increase in U.S. farm-store, community-supported-agriculture and other direct-to-consumer sales from 2019 to 2020.[12]
  • 7% of U.S. farms sold commodities through direct-to-consumer outlets in 2020.[12]
  • 35% was the increase in U.S. farm direct sales of edible food commodities from 2019 to 2020.[12]
  • 6.5% of U.S. organic sales came through internet channels in 2021.[12]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing-channel usage is concentrated, with 288 of 572 sampled farm businesses using only one marketing channel in 2026 in the United Kingdom. Social platforms dominate, with 75% of surveyed farmers using WhatsApp at least daily in 2024.

Marketing in the agro industry

  • 288 of 572 sampled farm businesses, or about 50%, used only one marketing channel; 2026, United Kingdom.[44]
  • 14% of farm marketing-channel connections involved direct-to-consumer channels; 2026, United Kingdom.[44]
  • 23% of farm marketing-channel connections involved processors in the studied farm network, making processors the most common channel; 2026, United Kingdom.[44]
  • 62% of California direct-market farmers used at least one non-direct-to-consumer channel; 2020, United States.[45]
  • 21% of farm marketing-channel connections involved wholesalers or merchants; 2026, United Kingdom.[44]

Digital marketing in the agro industry

  • 46% of California direct-market farmers used online marketing channels during the first pandemic year; 2020, United States.[45]
  • Farmers in Southern Shan State spent an average of 1.78 hours per day on social media; 2026, Myanmar.[46]
  • Farmers in a California survey who continued online sales were more likely to increase sales, but not profitability; 2020, United States.[44]
  • 50% of California farmers using online marketing reported no change in online-sales use; 2020, United States.[45]
  • 11.27% of 577 surveyed Chinese farmers sold cash crops through two marketing channels; 2025, Yellow River Basin.[47]

Branding in the agro industry

  • 20%–60% was the market share of farmer-owned brands across ten food and drink categories; 2026, United States.[44]
  • More than 80% of surveyed U.S. food consumers had a positive perception of the farmer-owned label; 2026, United States.[44]
  • $1.1 billion was Viterra’s food-brand value after a 37% annual increase; 2024, global.[48]
  • 457 U.S. food consumers participated in a study of awareness and perception of farmer-owned brands; 2026, United States.[44]
  • $20.8 billion was Nestlé’s food-brand value; 2024, global.[48]

Social media in the agro industry

  • 13% of surveyed farmers used X daily; 2024, United Kingdom.[49]
  • 75% of surveyed farmers used WhatsApp at least daily; 2024, United Kingdom.[49]
  • 76% of U.S. growers used social media at least once a year; 2025, United States.[50]
  • 36% of U.S. growers using social media used X regularly; 2025, United States.[50]
  • 47.2% of surveyed Indian farmers preferred YouTube for agricultural information; 2026, India.[51]

Influencer Marketing in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • Food and drink influencer content generated 392 billion impressions globally in 2023.[52]
  • 11.5 million influencer posts covered food and drink globally in 2023, according to Sprout Social’s benchmark dataset.[52]
  • Food and drink influencer posts achieved a 1.19% average engagement rate globally in 2023.[52]
  • Food and drink influencer content produced an estimated $122 billion in earned media value globally in 2023.[52]
  • Food and drink influencer content generated 42.7 billion engagements globally in 2023.[52]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational digitization varies by geography, with 60% of French farms using farm-management information systems in 2023. Loss-through-supply-chain figures remain high, including 13.3% of global food production lost between harvest and retail in 2023.

Process optimization in the agro industry

  • 5% of retired U.S. family farms used yield monitors, yield maps or soil maps in 2023.[12]
  • 60% of French farms used farm-management information systems in 2023, the highest rate among EU countries.[9]
  • 35% of farms in the Netherlands used robotics in 2023, the highest adoption rate among EU countries.[9]
  • 68% of large-scale U.S. crop-producing farms used yield monitors, yield maps or soil maps in 2023.[12]
  • 7% of EU farms used robotics capable of autonomous operation without direct human intervention in 2023.[9]

Operational efficiency in the agro industry

  • 20.1% of surveyed German farms used variable-rate fertiliser application in 2024–2025.[8]
  • 20% of surveyed German farms used drones in 2024–2025.[8]
  • 80% of EU farms had tractors in 2023, making tractors the most prevalent conventional machinery type.[9]
  • 43% of EU farms reported having internet access in 2023.[9]
  • 56% of surveyed German farms used GPS-guided machinery in 2024–2025.[8]

Quality management in the agro industry

  • 65 deaths were linked to reported foodborne outbreaks in the European Union in 2023.[53]
  • 7.7 million food-safety and food-defense procedures were conducted at 7,100 USDA-regulated establishments in 2024.[54]
  • 8 beef recalls occurred in the United States in 2024.[55]
  • 59 people in 19 U.S. states were infected in the 2024 outbreak strain associated with dairy products, with 59 hospitalisations and 10 deaths reported by year-end.[55]
  • 2,894 hospitalisations were linked to reported foodborne outbreaks in the European Union in 2023.[53]

Supply chain in the agro industry

  • 13.3% of global food production was lost between harvest and retail in 2023, including farm, transport, storage, wholesale and processing stages.[19]
  • 17.1% of sorghum production was lost across harvesting, threshing, cleaning, transport and storage in Niger in 2024.[19]
  • 19.0% of cowpea production was lost across harvesting, threshing, cleaning, transport and storage in Niger in 2024.[19]
  • 13.6% of peanut production was lost across harvesting, threshing, cleaning, transport and storage in Niger in 2024.[19]
  • 25.4% of global fruits and vegetables were lost across post-harvest supply-chain stages in 2023.[19]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the agriculture and food production sector (sector benchmark)

  • 2% of Canadian food and beverage companies outsourced production entirely to third-party manufacturers in 2020.[56]
  • 49% of U.S. growers surveyed outsourced at least some farm work to third-party service providers in 2022, with spraying services the most commonly outsourced activity.[57]
  • About 12% of firms in the 11-country World Bank Firm-level Adoption of Technology sample outsourced at least one food-processing function, compared with about 18% in apparel.[58]
  • 19% of surveyed Queensland food-processing businesses contracted work out in 2010, while 28% contracted work in and 15% did both.[59]
  • 66% of Queensland food-processing businesses engaged in contract manufacturing to some extent in 2010, including contracting work in or out.[59]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

U.S. net farm income is forecast at $158.4 billion in 2026, down 2.6% nominally from 2025. EU agricultural output prices rose 53.6% between 2009 and 2024.

Pricing strategy in the agro industry

  • 53.6% was the increase in EU agricultural output prices between 2009 and 2024.[9]
  • 6% was the early-estimated decrease in EU agricultural input prices in 2024 compared with 2023.[9]
  • 2% was the early-estimated decrease in EU agricultural output prices in 2024 compared with 2023.[9]
  • €76,556 per hectare was the average arable-land price in Portugal in 2024.[9]
  • €295 per hectare was the average annual rent for arable land and permanent grassland in the EU in 2024, up 6.4% from 2023.[9]

Cost reduction in the agro industry

  • $26.9 billion was forecast U.S. farm seed spending in 2024, down from $27.327 billion in 2023.[12]
  • $51.751 billion was forecast U.S. farm labor expense in 2024, up from $48.787 billion in 2023.[12]
  • 6.1% was the decline in EU prices for goods and services consumed in agriculture in 2024.[9]
  • $29.788 billion was forecast U.S. farm interest expense in 2024, up from $28.471 billion in 2023.[12]
  • $47.361 billion was forecast U.S. livestock-and-poultry purchases expense in 2024, up from $42.98 billion in 2023.[12]

Profitability in the agro industry

  • 5.5% was the forecast inflation-adjusted decline in U.S. net farm income from 2025 to 2026.[12]
  • €267.7 billion was the value of EU crop output in 2024, representing 50.3% of total agricultural output.[9]
  • €303.3 billion was EU agricultural intermediate consumption in 2024, down 3.7% from 2023.[9]
  • $158.4 billion was forecast U.S. net farm income in 2026, down 2.6% nominally from 2025.[12]
  • €228.6 billion was the gross value added generated by EU agriculture in 2024, up 3.1% from 2023.[9]

Financial planning in the agro industry

  • $635.1 billion was forecast U.S. gross cash farm income in inflation-adjusted 2026 dollars, up 0.8% from 2025.[12]
  • 70% was the share of U.S. direct government payments in 2025 disbursed from funding authorized by the American Relief Act and supplemental disaster relief programs.[12]
  • $93,975 was the forecast median off-farm income of U.S. farm households in 2026.[12]
  • 13.54% was the forecast U.S. farm-sector debt-to-asset ratio in 2026, up from 13.34% in 2025.[12]
  • $431.8 billion was U.S. gross cash farm income in inflation-adjusted 2026 dollars in 2006.[12]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Crop protection and R&D intensity drive product pipelines, including R&D spend of 8% of revenue at Corteva and expected reductions in plant height for reduced-stature corn. Equipment service revenue expectations point to growth in 2025–2026.

Product development in the agro industry

  • €32 billion is the peak sales potential of Bayer’s agricultural R&D pipeline, according to its 2024 innovation update.[60]
  • Corteva obtained more than 150 new crop-protection product registrations in 2023.[61]
  • 90–100 new crop-protection formulations are expected from Bayer over the decade following 2024.[60]
  • More than 15 novel crop-protection modes of action were in Bayer’s research pipeline in 2026.[60]
  • Syngenta reported three new crop-protection technologies on track to reach at least $1 billion in annual global sales in 2024.[62]

Product lifecycle in the agro industry

  • 30% is the targeted reduction in plant height for Corteva’s reduced-stature corn product under development.[29]
  • 13.3% of food was lost globally after harvest through processing and wholesale stages in 2023.[19]
  • 13.0% of food was lost globally after harvest in 2015, compared with 13.3% in 2023.[19]
  • Over 20 fungal diseases are controlled by Corteva’s Adavelt active agricultural fungicide.[29]
  • 30 days is the reported reduction in breeding-line development time enabled by Syngenta’s Hyderabad innovation center.[63]

After-sales in the agro industry

  • 36% of agricultural-equipment dealers reported precision sales and service revenue up 2–7% in 2025.[42]
  • 7.5% of Hoober dealership revenue came from farm-equipment service and support, equal to $15 million annually.[64]
  • 40.6% of U.S. agricultural-equipment dealers forecast service revenue to rise 2–7% in 2025 versus 2024.[65]
  • 42% of agricultural-equipment dealers expected precision revenue to improve by 2–7% or more in 2026.[42]
  • 1.5% of U.S. agricultural-equipment dealers forecast service revenue to decline at least 8% in 2025 versus 2024.[65]

Value proposition in the agro industry

  • 15.7% of Ugandan agricultural-platform users ranked price and weather information as their main reason for registering.[66]
  • 37% is the reported increase in farmers’ willingness to pay for direct agricultural-drone investment after receiving information in a China survey experiment.[44]
  • 40% is the potential water-use saving offered by Corteva’s AcreNext direct-seeded rice package.[29]
  • Over 20 fungal diseases are controlled by Corteva’s Adavelt active, a value proposition based on broad crop protection.[29]
  • 14.3% of Ugandan agricultural-platform users ranked access to working capital or loans as their main reason for registering.[66]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Agrifood emissions and resource use stay central, with agrifood-system emissions reaching 18.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2024. Deforestation-linked emissions reached 2.8 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023.

Sustainability in the agro industry

  • 70% of global freshwater withdrawals are used for agriculture.[19]
  • 58% of global agricultural fertilizer nutrients were nitrogen in 2022.[19]
  • 75% of agrobiodiversity loss is attributed to food production.[19]
  • $3.8 trillion was the real value of global agricultural production in 2022.[19]
  • 16.5 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent emissions were generated by global agrifood systems in 2023.[19]

ESG in the agro industry

  • About 50% of assessed agrifood companies had a zero-deforestation target in 2024.[67]
  • 68% of 136 assessed agrifood companies had a net-zero target in 2024.[67]
  • 28% was Nestlé’s reduction in virgin plastic against its 2018 baseline in 2025.[68]
  • 24.5% was Nestlé’s net greenhouse-gas reduction against its 2018 baseline in 2025.[68]
  • More than 60% of assessed agrifood companies had at least one water target in 2024.[67]

Ethics in the agro industry

  • Women in wage employment in agriculture earned 82 cents for every dollar earned by men in 2023.[19]
  • 71% of employed women in southern Asia worked in agrifood systems in 2023.[19]
  • 47% of employed men in southern Asia worked in agrifood systems in 2023.[19]
  • 36% of working women depended on agrifood systems for their livelihoods globally.[19]
  • 66% of employed women in sub-Saharan Africa worked in agrifood systems in 2023.[19]

CSR in the agro industry

  • 106 hectares of degraded land were restored through the Rainforest Alliance Mount Kenya program in 2024.[69]
  • 54% of the Rainforest Alliance leadership team and directors were women in 2024.[69]
  • 62 countries had Rainforest Alliance-certified farms or programs in 2024.[69]
  • 694 Rainforest Alliance staff worked across 35 countries in 2024.[69]
  • 34,254 certified coffee and tea farmers in Mount Kenya adopted regenerative agriculture practices in 2024.[69]

Circular economy in the agro industry

  • 44% of surveyed European agri-food companies sold residues or waste to another company in 2024.[7]
  • 28% of surveyed European agri-food companies reported decreased production costs after green-transition actions.[7]
  • More than 40% of surveyed European agri-food companies planned additional efforts on waste minimization within two years.[7]
  • More than 40% of surveyed European agri-food companies planned additional efforts on recycling within two years.[7]
  • 50% of surveyed European agri-food companies reported increased production costs after green-transition actions.[7]

Carbon footprint in the agro industry

  • Deforestation emissions reached 2.8 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023.[19]
  • Asia generated 7.1 billion tonnes of agrifood-system emissions in 2023.[19]
  • Agrifood-system emissions averaged 2.0 tonnes of CO2-equivalent per person globally in 2023.[19]
  • Packaging, transport and retail generated 1.4 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023.[19]
  • Farm-gate crop and livestock emissions reached 8.1 billion tonnes of CO2-equivalent in 2023.[19]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Trade exposure is concentrated, with U.S. agricultural exports totaling $171 billion in 2025 and 56% shipped to its five largest markets. East Asia and the Pacific accounted for $1.86 trillion of global agriculture, forestry and fishing value added in 2025.

Globalization in the agro industry

  • 62% of U.S. agricultural exports went to North American and East Asian markets during 2021–2025.[12]
  • 1.3 billion people, or 39.2% of the global workforce, were employed in agrifood systems in 2021.[19]
  • 86% of global trade in crop and livestock products consisted of food commodities in 2024.[19]
  • $171 billion was the value of U.S. agricultural exports in 2025.[12]
  • 17,500 agribusiness companies and more than 150,000 supplier and customer connections were analyzed globally for 2014–2022.[77]

Cultural adaptation in the agro industry

  • More than 40,000 products carried the Rainforest Alliance Certified seal in 2024.[69]
  • 333 million cups of coffee per day were represented by company purchases of Rainforest Alliance Certified coffee in 2024.[69]
  • 233 farm groups and almost 3,000 large farms participated in Rainforest Alliance certification in Mesoamerica through 2023.[69]
  • 96 million chocolate bars per day were represented by company purchases of Rainforest Alliance Certified cocoa in 2024.[69]
  • Nearly 25% of Greek farms were involved in direct sales to consumers, according to the cited European evidence.[78]

Supplier management in the agro industry

  • 65% of Agrofusion CL’s plant and field staff were seasonal limited-term workers during the July–October period.[79]
  • 4,200 acres were covered by Jain Irrigation’s contract onion-farming program in India.[79]
  • 34,254 certified coffee and tea farmers in Mount Kenya transitioned to regenerative practices in 2024.[69]
  • 94% of Nespresso coffee volume was sourced from AAA farms in the reported program period.[69]
  • 99% of Agrofusion CL’s leased agricultural land was leased from individual farmers.[79]

Stakeholder management in the agro industry

  • 202 jobs were created by the Mount Kenya regenerative-agriculture program in 2024, with women and youth holding 64%.[69]
  • 2 million social and solidarity-economy enterprises operated in the European Union, according to the United Nations summary.[80]
  • More than 280 million people were employed by cooperatives worldwide, according to the estimates cited by the United Nations.[80]
  • More than 1 billion people worldwide were members of cooperatives, according to the United Nations summary of cooperative-sector estimates.[80]
  • 11 million people were employed by social and solidarity-economy enterprises in the European Union, according to the United Nations summary.[80]

Distribution channels in the agro industry

  • 1.57 million enterprises served food and beverages across the EU in 2023.[9]
  • 2.62 million EU enterprises were engaged in food and beverage wholesaling, retailing or serving in 2013.[9]
  • €3.248 trillion was the turnover of EU food and beverage wholesaling, retailing and serving enterprises in 2023.[9]
  • €326 billion was the value added generated by EU food and beverage wholesaling, retailing and serving enterprises in 2013.[9]
  • 14.2 million people were employed in EU food and beverage wholesaling, retailing and serving activities in 2013.[9]

Key questions about the agro industry

How big is the global agriculture market in value added terms?
Global agriculture generated $4.2 trillion in value added in 2024.
What is driving agriculture value-added growth?
Agricultural value-added growth reached 3.1% in 2024, with production growth increasingly productivity-led.
Which companies lead the agro industry?
Cargill stands out for agricultural trading and processing because it delivers food and agricultural solutions across 70 countries and 125 markets, while Bunge focuses on oilseeds, grains, food, feed and biofuels since it reported 32.5% revenue growth and a 2.2% operating margin.
What technology shifts matter most for farms and agrifood operators?
Adoption data points to faster digital agronomy uptake, with 56% of row-crop growers using digital agronomy for yield monitoring in 2024 and 27% of U.S. producers citing data accuracy as a most-important requirement in 2024.
How concentrated is agriculture trade and who sets much of the exposure?
The five largest global exporters in 2025 were the European Union, United States, Brazil, China and Canada, and USDA reports that more than one-third of global agricultural-trade value is concentrated among several large economies.
How volatile are food prices, and what does that imply for procurement planning?
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 133.9 points in October 2026, down 1.2% from September but 5.9% above October 2025, and it was 16.4% below its March 2022 peak.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Agro Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/agro-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Agro Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/agro-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Agro Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/agro-industry-statistics.

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