THE EFFECTS OF CORPORATE CONSOLIDATION ON MARKET COMPETITION, PRICING, AND SMALLHOLDER ACCESS IN AGRICULTURE
AUTHOR – ISHITA* & PROF (DR.) SHEFALI RAIZADA**
* STUDENT, LL.M CB&IL AT AMITY LAW SCHOOL NOIDA. EMAIL: ISHU182K@GMAIL.COM
** DIRECTOR/JOINT HEAD, AMITY LAW SCHOOL NOIDA. EMAIL: SRAIZADA@AMITY.EDU
BEST CITATION – ISHITA & PROF (DR.) SHEFALI RAIZADA, THE EFFECTS OF CORPORATE CONSOLIDATION ON MARKET COMPETITION, PRICING, AND SMALLHOLDER ACCESS IN AGRICULTURE, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 5 (8) OF 2025, PG. 532-537, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344.
Introduction
Corporate mergers and acquisitions are becoming a hallmark of contemporary agribusiness. Critics claim that these consolidations undermine market competition, raise input costs, and deny smallholder farmers access to important developments, while supporters maintain that they increase efficiencies, support R&D, and foster technological innovation. Given its importance to rural life and food security, the agricultural sector deserves particular attention when it comes to concentrated corporate ownership. The market for agricultural inputs saw a dramatic change between 2015 and 2018. The “Big Six” agribusinesses were whittled down to four key players: Bayer, Corteva, Syngenta, and BASF, following three significant mergers: Dow-DuPont, ChemChina-Syngenta, and Bayer-Monsanto. The end effect was an oligopolistic market structure in which a small number of multinational firms had a major impact on pricing, innovation, and competition. In addition to changing the supply chain, this consolidation changed the balance of power between input providers and farmers. For instance, the combination of Bayer and Monsanto created a business that dominates the agrochemical and seed industries, raising questions about regulatory control and monopolistic practices. These mergers raise concerns about the sustainability and inclusivity of agricultural innovation networks and have significant economic ramifications, especially for vulnerable stakeholders.
Keywords: Agribusiness consolidation, Market concentration, Monopolistic pricing, Smallholder farmers, Seed and agrochemical markets