Market conditions in 2018 weren’t easy for the agrochemical group; not only were there many challenges due to bad weather, but also because of the decreasing incomes of farmers. Additionally, the company had R&D costs amounting to USD 1.3 billion, and then there was Donald Trump’s trade war. However, despite the difficulties, Syngenta’s turnover still grew by 7 percent to USD 13.5 billion.
Challenges will most likely remain in 2019, besides the farmer’s decreasing incomes, an increasing regulatory pressure from the EU exists. When ChemChina took over Syngenta, they first expected yearly growth rates of up to 15 percent, but, due to different geopolitical conditions, these expectations aren’t realistic anymore.
In 2018, Syngenta was also in the black again and had a net profit of USD 1.44 billion, a clear improvement to 2017’s loss of USD 98 million.
