Case Study

Project Scope:  

Our client is a leading provider of innovative seed solutions revolutionizing agriculture with cutting-edge technology and extensive research to redefine farming practices and elevate crop yields. The client engaged Sathguru to conduct an assessment of market opportunities for selected crops in 15 countries across South Asia, Southeast Asia, and Africa, including India. Sathguru conducted a comprehensive analysis of the seed industry, evaluating crop-wise (field, fiber and vegetable) market trends, demand, supply, opportunities, competitors, regulatory framework, ease of business, entry barriers, technology disruption, innovations in Ag-tech, and climate change impact. 

Situational Analysis:  

Our client expressed interest in understanding the current market opportunities for selected crops in four regions. Sathguru conducted an in-depth analysis of the seed industry trends, crop-wise market analysis, opportunities, risks, growth trends, opportunities for gene editing, GMOs, climate change impact and the role of Ag-tech in the seed industry across the 15 target countries. 

Scope/ Approach: 

• Performed an in-depth assessment of market growth and forecasted trends for the next seven years for each of the target crops, growth and demand drivers of the seed industry,  

• A crop-specific seed sector assessment was carried out in terms of area, production, technologies, traits, segmentations, hybridization, government interests and strategies, as well as consumer preferences. 

• Assessed regulatory framework and impact of climate change in the country’s cropping system for each target country. 

• Conducted the market size estimation by value and volume (historical and project growth and trends), acreages, productivity, yield, hybridization and their share in the seed market for the target countries 

• Sathguru assessed and identified the factors causing disruptions in the seed industry in target geographies, including technological advancements in gene editing, GMOs, the regulatory landscape, climate change, and innovations in Ag-tech. 

Recommendations: 

• Sathguru provided recommendations for potential growth strategies and opportunities in terms of export-import and technologies integration opportunities in the seed industry dynamics for each country. 

• Sathguru evaluated the anticipated economic impact on the crop-specific area, production, market size, volume growth and potential market share for the client 

• Sathguru recommended prioritizing potential countries with strategic portfolios to enter, strategies to be adopted, and various collaboration and partnership models. 

 Impact/ Result/ Client benefit:  

Sathguru helped the client understand seed industry dynamics in the 15 target countries for different crops of interest. This aided the client in understanding market trends, collaborations, partnerships, and strategic options for market entry in prioritized countries and potential timeline for entry into other countries. 

Project Scope:  

Our client is a leading provider of innovative seed solutions revolutionizing agriculture with cutting-edge technology and extensive research to redefine farming practices and elevate crop yields. The client sought Sathguru’s expertise to assess its research and development program and develop a strategic roadmap for growth aligned with and contributing to Vision 2030. 

Situational Analysis:  

Our client expressed interest in exploring opportunities by conducting a thorough evaluation of its current research programs, product pipeline, and overall research systems and processes. This assessment was aimed at identifying areas for improvement, potential growth opportunities, investment requirements and strategies to enhance competitiveness and market presence.  

Scope/ Approach: 

• Sathguru reviewed the company’s current research programs for different crops of interest. Sathguru conducted a commercial potential assessment of current and pipeline products and identified avenues for immediate commercial growth through strategic initiatives. 

• Sathguru assessed research strength, germplasm pool and mapped traits and products under development in alignment with market preferences and organizational goals. Sathguru identified gaps in R&D programs and recommended strategies to bridge the gaps. 

• Sathguru evaluated the time to market of pipeline products, benchmarked the pipeline with market requirements, understood the prevailing trends in terms of traits and technologies with comparable competitor products for key target crops and product segments, and mapped opportunities to understand growth potential and developed a strategic growth plan. 

• Sathguru offered strategies to enhance short-term growth by utilizing existing assets and leveraging product pipelines. 

• Sathguru developed a growth strategy for the client based on the life cycle and growth potential assessment of existing products, the strength of the pipeline, innovation sales, anticipated market returns, the competitive landscape and the changing dynamics of the industry. 

Recommendations: 

• Sathguru suggested strategies for expanding the portfolio with market-relevant traits, focusing on the client’s current strengths, existing R&D infrastructure, and pipeline products based on market readiness. 

• Sathguru devised a seven-year strategic growth map to enhance research systems and streamline operational processes for optimized performance and investment requirements for improving business process efficiency. 

• Sathguru proposed a growth strategy aimed at fostering immediate expansion by strategically leveraging the existing portfolio and optimizing opportunities within the short-term pipeline. 

 Impact/ Result/ Client benefit:  

The client commended Sathguru for the high-quality delivery and has started implementing the recommendations focusing on research program prioritization for portfolio expansion, strategizing pipeline and accelerating pipeline delivery by optimizing breeding goals, integrating technologies and upgrading systems. 

Project Scope:  

Our client, a leading seed company in India with a diversified product portfolio, wanted Sathguru to assess its field crop research and development program and develop a strategic roadmap for growth that aligns with and contributes to the company’s vision for 2033. 

Situational Analysis:  

Our client engaged Sathguru for a comprehensive evaluation of the field crop research program with regards to its current portfolio, germplasm pool, enabling technologies, research programs,  systems and processes for identification of avenues for growth, mapping these opportunities with current industry trends, and developing a strategic roadmap to drive and sustain future growth.  

Scope/ Approach: 

• Sathguru conducted a gap analysis of segment-wise crop portfolios based on competitive landscaping to identify strengths and gaps in the current portfolio as per market preferences.  

• Sathguru assessed the client’s germplasm pool and crop genetic resources against current and future market demands, breeding goals, and technological integration to develop and deliver a robust pipeline and hybrids with market-preferred traits. 

• Sathguru evaluated the client’s R&D strength, research infrastructure, and technological preparedness to deliver market-preferred competitive products. 

• Conducted a detailed assessment of potential collaborations for speed breeding and germplasm access, reviewed the human resource landscape and determined investment requirements for R&D initiatives and product pipeline development.  

Recommendations: 

• Sathguru, based on its assessment of the current portfolio and pipeline, and existing R&D infrastructure, recommended strategies for expanding the portfolio focusing on market-preferred and futuristic traits 

• Sathguru provided recommendations for streamlining breeding efforts to address critical gaps and explore possibilities of collaborations with national and international institutes to facilitate access to a strong germplasm pool and cutting-edge technologies. 

• Sathguru proposed strategies to intensify efforts to fast-track and develop market-winning products and enhance business support systems to streamline operational processes for optimized performance. 

• Provided recommendations for improving processes and systems to enhance research efficiencies. 

 Impact/ Result/ Client benefit:  

The client has started implementing the recommendations, focusing on prioritizing research programs and expanding the portfolio. They are also strategizing pipeline acceleration, optimizing breeding goals, integrating technologies, and upgrading systems. 

Our client is a well–established seed company engaged in the research, production, and marketing of hybrid seeds with a presence in India, South Asia and South-East Asian countries with a direct impact on the farming communities.

Scope/Approach/Recommendation

The client approached Sathguru Management Consultants to assess the market opportunities for crops of interest (field and vegetables) in India, South Asia, Southeast Asia & Africa. One critical objective was a comprehensive analysis of climate change impact in the targeted regions for the major field crops & vegetables in the next ten years. Sathguru assessed the climatological trends and extreme indices and connected the dots by analyzing the probable future climatic changes for the major cultivating areas of the targeted regions. Sathguru recommended adaptation & mitigation strategies to thrive in the expected climate change risk areas for the major crops. Sathguru provided tailored, informed decision-making solutions for the company to meet the climate change impacts.

Impact/Result/Client Benefit

Sathguru helped the client adopt breeding strategies for the target regions to achieve better business success in the next decade. This was aligned with sustainable development goals that impact smallholder farmers and ensure food security in the face of climate change in the target regions.

Our client, a leading seed company in India with a diversified product portfolio, engaged Sathguru to assess its data and IP management systems, biotech traits and their market potential and develop the strategy for integrating new Genome Editing (GE) tools in breeding next-generation innovative products. 

Scope/Approach/Recommendations 

 The client, a leading seed company with a robust product portfolio and market presence across India, expressed interest in globally exploring the GE tools in breeding next-generation innovative products alongside a critical assessment of the company’s current crop traits & technologies in biotech. Sathguru conducted an in-depth assessment of the current systems and processes for IP, along with an evaluation and identification of gaps/risks for the data management system of the company. 

Impact/Result/Client Benefit  

 Sathguru helped the client understand the gaps in the current IP, data management and biotechnology systems and helped to explore relevant opportunities through several strategic recommendations. Sathguru’s recommendations were well received by the client, and they have started implementing the 10-year roadmap for integrating gene editing into their breeding programs. The strategies for the digital transformation for R&D and product development are also being implemented to help the company become one of the leading data-driven company in the country. 

Project Scope:  

Our client is a leading agri-input conglomerate engaged in the business of R&D, production & marketing of hybrid seeds in India. The client expressed interest in engaging Sathguru to explore growth potential and opportunities to meet organizational goals. Sathguru also evaluated the client’s research and development programs and developed an R&D strategic roadmap for growth, aligned with the company’s vision. 

Situational Analysis:  

Our client is focused on driving strategic growth through enhanced R&D capabilities, market expansion, and strategic partnerships aligned with the company’s vision and objectives. 

Scope/ Approach: 

• Sathguru reviewed the company’s research programs for different crops of interest. We assessed the product strength and germplasm pool, and mapped the existing product portfolio and traits with market requirements. Sathguru identified gaps in R&D programs and analyzed business goals to understand growth potential and develop a strategic growth plan. 
• Sathguru conducted a commercial potential assessment of current & pipeline products and identified avenues for immediate commercial growth through strategic initiatives. 
• Sathguru offered strategies to enhance short-term growth by utilizing existing assets and leveraging product pipelines. 
• Sathguru also developed a growth strategy for the client based on the life cycle and growth potential assessment of existing products, strength of pipeline, innovation sales, anticipated market returns, competitive landscape and changing dynamics of the industry. 

Recommendations: 

• Sathguru proposed a growth strategy aimed at fostering immediate expansion by strategically leveraging the existing portfolio and optimizing opportunities within the near-term pipeline. 
• Sathguru recommended re-prioritizing the crop portfolio and pipeline products with target market requirements based on market-preferred traits and competitive benchmarking. 
• Sathguru advised intensified investment in research for priority crops. 
• Sathguru provided recommendations for potential growth strategies and conceptualized a seven-year strategic growth plan to strengthen business support systems, optimize business operations and the product-market approach required to achieve the projected revenues. 

Impact/ Result/ Client benefit:  

The critical factors hindering the growth, suggested by Sathguru, were acknowledged by the client, and they have adopted the recommendations to diversify the investment to strategic crops with high growth potential.