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Lidea, a leading European seed company, announces its expansion into two key new territories: Kazakhstan and Côte d’Ivoire. This strategic move reflects the company’s ambition to strengthen its global footprint and address the specific agricultural challenges of these high-potential regions.
Lidea extends its global presence
With sales in over 55 countries, Lidea continues to extend its international reach to offer farmers solutions tailored to local challenges. Drawing on its expertise across the entire value chain – from plant breeding to seed production and marketing – Lidea now ranks among the top 10 global seed companies in the crops sector.
A strategy rooted in innovation, proximity, and sustainability
With these developments, Lidea reaffirms its core mission: to support farmers in achieving productive, sustainable, and locally adapted agriculture. Building on its strong presence in Europe and a strategic focus on international growth, Lidea continues to expand its geographical footprint and innovate for the agriculture of tomorrow. The company is majority-owned by French agricultural cooperatives and remains firmly committed to supporting farmers and sustainable agriculture worldwide.
Kazakhstan: Establishing roots in a strategic agricultural market in Central Asia
Lidea Kazakhstan was officially established on 14 January 2025 in Astana marking a pivotal step in Lidea’s expansion into Central Asia. The decision to create a subsidiary in Kazakhstan reflects the country’s strong agricultural potential and its ambition to significantly increase crop production in the coming years.
Kazakhstan is the third largest sunflower-growing country in Eurasia by surface area, after Russia and Ukraine, with over 1.2 million hectares cultivated in 2024. As sunflower is one of Lidea’s two strategic crop lines, this market represents a major opportunity to develop our activities in the region.
Following successful trials in 2024, a local seed production plan was implemented this spring, focusing on sunflower and alfalfa. The recent Kazakh-French Investment Forum in May 2025 highlighted Lidea’s arrival in the country through a strategic partnership with local institutional and agricultural stakeholders. This agreement is one of 15 bilateral projects signed between the two countries, aimed at strengthening cooperation in key sectors, including agriculture.
Lidea aims to contribute to the development of Kazakhstan’s seed sector by providing high-quality, locally adapted genetics to meet the needs of this fast-growing agricultural market.
Côte d’Ivoire: Supporting food sovereignty in West Africa
Lidea is pleased to announce the official opening of its subsidiary in Côte d’Ivoire, marking a major milestone in the development of our presence on the African continent and a testament to our strong commitment to supporting farmers and stakeholders in the seed sector across West Africa. A dedicated local team is now operational in the country.
In light of the challenges surrounding food sovereignty, Lidea firmly believes that seeds play a central role in the adaptation and development of resilient, sustainable, and competitive agriculture. This is why we have decided to establish a presence in Côte d’Ivoire, a strategic gateway to the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) region.
Through its commitment to working alongside local farmers and processors, Lidea has already validated the suitability of its corn, sunflower, and sorghum varieties in the region and initiated local industrial partnerships, recognising the strategic importance of these crops for regional food security.
“This move is about much more than the opening of an office: it reflects our deep commitment to supporting farmers and local stakeholders to address tomorrow’s challenges, through tailored seed solutions and a collaborative value chain approach” says François-Xavier Larrouy, Export and Licensing Leader.
About Lidea
At Lidea, we understand that seeds are the foundation of the global food chain. For over 80 years, our dedication to seed development and agricultural research has empowered farmers to fulfil their essential role: feeding the world.
As a farmer-driven company, we offer a comprehensive range of high-quality seeds and tailored solutions designed to optimise farm profitability all year round. Our diverse crop portfolio includes corn, sunflower, cereals, rapeseed, forages, cover crops, soybean, sorghum, and pulses. Each variety is carefully developed to meet the specific demands of the food, feed, and energy markets, ensuring that our seeds contribute not only to agricultural productivity but also to sustainability.