Meeting agricultural challenges to ensure Limagrain remains competitive

The Group's researchers improve plants in order to make them more resistant to insects and diseases, more tolerant to drought, better suited to industrial processes, and in order to guarantee their nutritional qualities. This sustained investment in research, ensures that Limagrain can remain competitive in the quality of the seeds, ingredients and bakery products delivered to its clients.

Sustained investment in research

In ten years Limagrain has doubled its investment in research, climbing from €71 million in 2000 to €157 million in 2011. The number of research sites (breeding stations, research and biotech laboratories) has also doubled in the past ten years moving up from 50 to nearly 100.

Research at Limagrain is central in the Group's activity. Limagrain's 1,400 researchers spread out all over the world work to improve agronomic performances. They study plants to create varieties that are more productive since they are more tolerant to conditions of stress such as the cold or drought, or more resistant to disease and to insects. Their research also involves crossing varieties that need less water or fertilizers, or that are able to capture more carbon dioxide. Their breeding programs also involve research on industrial aptitudes so that the ears, grain, vegetables, fruit and ingredients from their varieties are suitable for factory processing. They also conduct research on qualitative performances in order to provide the best possible digestibility of forage plants by livestock, or the best possible wheat flour for producing bread. Finally, they work to satisfy consumer expectations in terms of nutritional and organoleptic qualities for fruit and vegetables, and for bread and pastries.