Companies included in the agricultural inputs segment are active in the manufacturing and sales of fertilisers or agrochemical products, breeding and sales of seeds or manufacturing of agricultural machinery and equipment. They supply farmers with products and services needed to grow their crops and business.
The agricultural inputs segment includes 54 companies who, with their farmer-centric business models, are situated at the beginning of the food value chain. As such, their impact on the production of food is vital. While noting a more indirect impact on nutrition, through improving access to agricultural inputs as well as partnerships in- and outside the sector, companies in this segment are key to enhancing global food security.
Moroccan company OCP ranks number one in this segment, where it outperforms its peers as a result of a wide range of targets and commitments across all measurement areas. It is followed by a group of seed companies, UPL, Olam International, Bayer, Wilmar and Syngenta Group, who demonstrate leading practices in enhancing farmer productivity and resilience. BASF (ranking seventh), Yara (ranking eight), CNH Industrial (ranking ninth) and Charoen Pokphand Group (ranking tenth), are the other companies making up the top ten. Mid-range are companies in all three industries, with machinery companies Mahindra and Mahindra and AGCO ranking 19th and 25th respectively. While many of the companies in this segment operate out of the spotlight, compared to companies in further downstream segments, most provide some disclosure on key sustainable development issues. Companies at the lower end of the ranking generally lack sustainability strategies and targets, demonstrating significant room for improvement. For instance, while 20 companies in this segment demonstrate commitments towards improving soil health and agrobiodiversity, only eight have translated this into setting targets or providing quantitative evidence. Similarly, disclosure around social inclusion topics is fairly low with 60% of companies yet to provide sufficient commitments towards eliminating child labour.