02 June 2026, Belgium: A new 2026 AgbioInvestor study on behalf of CropLife International shines a spotlight on the complex journey of bringing new crop protection products to market. Drawing on the most recent data from leading industry players, the report highlights the significant time, investment, and scientific effort required to develop modern agricultural solutions.
Key findings:
Despite efficiency gains during the discovery process, the time it takes to develop a new product still stands at 4 years, likely reflecting greater complexity in regulatory data requirements and data submission procedures.
The average cost of discovery and development of a new crop protection product increased to $307 million (€276 million), an increase of nearly $21 million (€19 million) since 2014.
Biological crop protection products, as complementary tools in the farmer toolbox, have now reached 10% of agrochemical R&D investment by CropLife International member companies.
These findings underscore the scale of what it takes to deliver new crop protection solutions to farmers: complex science, sustained commitment, and significant investment. Unpredictable shifts in weather patterns and evolving pest behavior trigger critical, time-sensitive challenges that demand immediate action, yet delays in bringing innovative new products to market keep vital solutions out of farmers’ hands.
Innovation delayed is too often progress denied. Policy and regulation must keep pace with the urgency to deliver innovation where it’s needed most—on the farm.
To do so, we call for:
Regulatory modernization, to ensure a smoother and speedier process of delivering innovation to farmers.
Risk-based regulatory assessments to increase predictability and transparency of the registration process.
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