Inoculants Market Report 2026

The inoculants market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.37 billion in 2025 to $1.5 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to expansion of legume cultivation, increasing awareness of soil fertility management, rising adoption of sustainable farming practices, reduced reliance on chemical fertilizers, availability of microbial inoculant technologies.

The inoculants market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $2.15 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.4%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing demand for organic farming inputs, rising focus on regenerative agriculture, expansion of precision farming techniques, growing investment in bio-based crop solutions, increasing regulatory support for biological products. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing adoption of biological crop inputs, rising use of nitrogen-fixing microbes, growing demand for sustainable agriculture solutions, expansion of seed treatment applications, enhanced focus on soil health improvement.

The rising adoption of organic farming is expected to drive the growth of the inoculants market in the coming years. Organic farming is an agricultural practice that uses biological pesticides and fertilizers derived from plant or animal waste. Inoculants play a key role in organic farming as crop growth regulators, enhancing soil fertility and plant development. For example, in February 2024, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), a Germany-based international organization, reported that the global area under organic farming expanded by 2.5 million hectares in 2023, reaching nearly 99 million hectares, while global organic food sales rose to approximately 136 billion euros that same year. Therefore, the increasing use of organic farming is supporting the inoculants market.

Key companies in the inoculants market are developing advanced products with high concentrations of viable microorganisms to enhance nitrogen fixation in soybeans. Inoculants contain concentrated populations of microorganisms that improve soil fertility and plant growth. For instance, in July 2024, Novonesis, a US-based biosolutions company, launched Legumax Plus, a biological inoculant based on Bradyrhizobium japonicum, designed to enhance nitrogen fixation in soybeans and other crops while simplifying transport and application. With a bacterial concentration of up to five billion CFU/ml and 12-month stability, this product reduces application volumes and improves logistics for farmers. Legumax Plus is expected to significantly impact the inoculants market by increasing nitrogen fixation efficiency and addressing logistical challenges, establishing a new benchmark in agricultural biotechnology.

In March 2024, EW Nutrition GmbH, a Germany-based animal nutrition company, acquired DSM-Firmenich for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition is intended to strengthen EW Nutrition's market presence in the animal nutrition sector by incorporating established silage inoculants into its product portfolio. DSM-Firmenich is a Netherlands-based provider of inoculants.

Major companies operating in the inoculants market are BASF SE, Novozymes A/S, Chr. Hansen Holding A/S, Corteva, Inc. (Corteva Agriscience), Syngenta AG, Bayer AG, Lallemand Inc., UPL Limited, FMC Corporation, IPL Biologicals Limited, T. Stanes and Company Limited, BioWorks, Inc., Koppert Biological Systems B.V., Andermatt Biocontrol AG, Bioceres Crop Solutions Corp., Valent BioSciences LLC, Marrone Bio Innovations, Inc., Rizobacter Argentina S.A., AgBiome, Inc., Certis Biologicals Ltd.

North America was the largest region in the inoculants market in 2025.Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the global inoculants market report during the forecast period. The regions covered in the inoculants market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa. The countries covered in the inoculants market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The inoculants market consists of sales of different types of inoculants, such as algae inoculants, freeze-dried inoculants, symbiotic inoculants, non-symbiotic inoculants, associative inoculants, etc. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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