Agricultural Solutions reports sales of €1.40 billion as lower volumes and pricing pressure weigh on performance; segment cash flow declines 36.9%
30 October 2026, Ludwigshafen: BASF’s Agricultural Solutions business reported a challenging third quarter in 2026, with sales declining 19.7% year-on-year to €1.40 billion, compared with €1.75 billion in Q3 2025. The decline was primarily driven by significantly lower sales volumes and a slight decrease in prices, contrasting with growth across several of BASF Group’s other core businesses.
The segment’s weaker performance also affected its earnings, with EBITDA before special items turning negative at minus €78 million, compared with positive earnings of €44 million in the corresponding quarter last year.
Sales in Agricultural Solutions declined by €344 million compared with the prior-year quarter. While BASF Group recorded a 14.2% increase in overall sales to €16.36 billion, Agricultural Solutions was among the segments that experienced a decline.
The company attributed the segment’s lower sales to a significant reduction in volumes and a slight decline in prices. This contrasted with the Chemicals, Materials, Surface Technologies and Industrial Solutions segments, which benefited from considerably higher prices during the quarter.
Earnings Turn Negative
Agricultural Solutions recorded EBITDA before special items of minus €78 million in Q3 2026, compared with €44 million in Q3 2025, representing a deterioration of €122 million.
Reported EBITDA also turned negative, reaching minus €48 million against positive earnings of €80 million in the previous year’s corresponding quarter.
The weaker performance came amid stronger earnings contributions from other BASF businesses. Chemicals recorded a 61.1% increase in EBITDA before special items, while Materials and Industrial Solutions reported growth of 30.3% and 51.3%, respectively.
Segment Cash Flow Declines
Agricultural Solutions generated segment cash flow of €294 million during the third quarter, down 36.9% from €465 million in Q3 2025.
The decline in cash flow accompanied the segment’s weaker sales and earnings performance, although it continued to generate positive cash flow during the reporting period.
BASF Group: Segment-wise Financial Performance in Q3 2026
Figures in € million, except percentage changes.
Business Segment
Sales Q3 2026
Sales Q3 2025
Sales Change
Chemicals
3,394
2,526
+34.4%
Materials
3,735
3,153
+18.5%
Industrial Solutions
2,387
2,134
+11.8%
Nutrition & Care
1,755
1,637
+7.2%
Surface Technologies
2,529
2,302
+9.9%
Agricultural Solutions
1,404
1,748
-19.7%
Other
1,156
828
+39.7%
BASF Group
16,360
14,328
+14.2%
BASF Group Raises Full-Year Earnings Forecast
Despite the weakness in Agricultural Solutions, BASF Group delivered a 14.2% increase in third-quarter sales to €16.36 billion. EBITDA before special items rose 14.9% to €1.64 billion, supported by stronger contributions from its Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions and Nutrition & Care businesses.
Based on its year-to-date performance, BASF raised its full-year 2026 EBITDA before special items forecast to between €7.4 billion and €7.8 billion, compared with its previous range of €6.9 billion to €7.7 billion.
The company maintained its free cash flow outlook at €1.5 billion to €2.3 billion and expects CO₂ emissions to remain between 17.2 million and 18.2 million metric tonnes.
“The strong year-to-date performance of our core businesses gives us confidence to narrow our forecast range for EBITDA before special items upward,” said Dr. Markus Kamieth, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of BASF, when presenting the third-quarter figures alongside Chief Financial Officer Dr. Dirk Elvermann.
BASF now expects EBITDA before special items of between €7.4 billion and €7.8 billion in the 2026 business year, compared with its previous forecast of €6.9 billion to €7.7 billion in the Half-Year Financial Report 2026.
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