Bayer profit rises on seed sales, but glyphosate business weakens
Bayer reported stronger first-quarter 2026 earnings on the back of crop seeds, while sales of glyphosate-based herbicides fell sharply across several regions.
Bayer reported a stronger first quarter in 2026, with agriculture providing the main boost to the group’s earnings. According to AFP, core profit rose 9% to 4.45 billion euros, while profit in the agricultural division increased by almost 18%. The company said the gain was supported by the resolution of a licensing dispute and by higher sales of corn and soybean seed.
That matters for the farm sector because the improvement did not come from the whole portfolio equally. It came from businesses tied directly to planting decisions and yield expectations. Stronger seed sales suggest growers are still willing to spend on high-value row crops even in a volatile macro and geopolitical environment, especially when protecting output remains the priority.
The herbicide segment, however, moved in the opposite direction. Revenue from glyphosate-based products fell 15.1%. Bayer said customers in North America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa were delaying purchases. That points to a market still under pressure from cautious buying behaviour, legal overhang and shifting competitive conditions rather than from demand growth in crop protection.
Bayer also reiterated the legal burden that has followed its 2018 acquisition of Monsanto. The company has already spent more than US$10 billion settling thousands of glyphosate-related claims. The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies glyphosate as a probable human carcinogen, while Bayer argues that scientific studies and regulatory approvals in the United States and the European Union support the product’s safety when used properly.
On the wider market backdrop, Bayer said the war in the Middle East had not yet had a material impact on its full-year guidance. Even so, the group told investors that disruption to global energy supplies had hurt low-cost Chinese glyphosate producers. In Bayer’s view, rising costs for those producers are helping create conditions for firmer pricing in the glyphosate market.
For agribusiness, the quarterly update sends a mixed but useful signal. Demand for corn and soybean seed underlines the resilience of core crop production systems. At the same time, weaker glyphosate sales show that one of the world’s most important herbicide segments remains exposed to litigation, delayed purchasing and energy-driven competition. That combination keeps the global agrochemical market highly sensitive in 2026.