- French seed manufacturer Limagrain to step up research and development activities with EIB loan of €300 million.
- Operation supports development of innovative plant genetics to improve crops’ productivity as well as nutritional and environmental qualities.
- EIB credit benefits from the European Commission’s InvestEU guarantee.
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending French seed producer Limagrain €300 million to accelerate the development of more productive and resilient crops. The loan represents one of the EIB’s largest financing operations in the agricultural sector in Europe.
The goal is to reinforce Limagrain’s research and development programme led by the company’s subsidiary Vilmorin & Cie. The R&D activities aim to develop innovative plant genetics to address major agricultural and food challenges.
Research efforts will focus on improving the agronomic performance of crops – yield, resistance to diseases and pests, adaptation to climates and regions, drought tolerance and optimisation of nutrient use – as well as their nutritional and environmental qualities.
By supporting Limagrain’s innovation drive, the EIB is strengthening the strategic role of seeds, the first link in the food chain and a key lever for more sustainable and independent agriculture in Europe. The loan is being made through the EIB’s TechEU programme and benefits from the InvestEU guarantee established by the European Commission to mobilise large-scale public and private investments in support of Europe’s strategic priorities.
“With this financing, we are supporting a strategic link in our food sovereignty,” said EIB Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle. “Innovating in plant genetics means giving farmers the means to face climate challenges by providing them with access to more resilient seeds. This project illustrates the ambition of our TechEU investment programme: strengthening Europe’s capacity for innovation in key sectors such as agriculture and bioeconomy. By supporting Limagrain’s research efforts with the backing of the European Union’s InvestEU guarantee, we are contributing to concrete solutions for the food security of Europeans and the resilience of regions.”
The loan is the second by the EIB to Limagrain, an agricultural cooperative that is the world’s fourth-largest seed company. Limagrain received an EIB loan of €170 million in 2020 to adapt its seeds to climate change.
“I would like to thank the EIB and Vice-President Ambroise Fayolle for providing this historic €300 million in financing and for the confidence they have shown in us,” said Limagrain Chairman Sébastien Vidal. “This support illustrates Europe’s commitment to seed innovation in the service of sustainable agricultural sovereignty. It also constitutes a strong political and strategic signal to restore food to its rightful place and value.”
Limagrain Chief Executive Officer Sébastien Chauffaut said: “The €300 million financing provided by the EIB to Limagrain reflects a strong conviction: Europe must invest in its agricultural sovereignty and its capacity for innovation. It recognises the relevance of our strategy – based on innovation, value creation, and responsibility – in serving farmers and local regions. Investing in agriculture and in plant innovation ultimately means investing in the stability, security and balance of the world to come.”
Background information:
In the face of global challenges, Limagrain is convinced that plants are an essential part of the solution to ensure sustainable agriculture capable of feeding populations in both quantity and quality. Building on its historical expertise in plant genetics, Limagrain develops high value-added field crops and vegetable seeds for farmers, market gardeners, and gardeners worldwide, to support the agricultural transition. In 2024-2025, the Group devoted €324 million to research and development.
At the end of 2024, the EIB Group launched a pan-European €3 billion package of loans for agriculture and the bioeconomy, intended to mobilize €8.4 billion investments, notably in green financing and climate risk reduction. In total, over the years 2024 and 2025, the EIB has strengthened its financial support for agriculture and the bioeconomy with nearly €15 billion in financing.
About the European Investment Bank (EIB):
The EIB Group – whose shareholders are the 27 European Union member states – is the EU’s long-term financing institution and one of the largest multilateral development banks in the world. In 2025, it signed €100 billion of new financing and advisory mandates to support over 870 high-impact projects across eight major priorities aligned with the EU’s top objectives: climate action and environment; digital transition and technological innovation; security and defense; territorial cohesion; agriculture and bioeconomy; social infrastructure; strong global partnerships; and the union of savings and investment. In addition to long-term loans for major infrastructure, the EIB Group mobilizes private investment in support of businesses and high-risk innovative projects, playing a growing role in European markets for venture debt, venture capital, guarantees, and securitization. In 2025, the EIB Group invested €13 billion in projects in France, including €800 million in agriculture and the bioeconomy.
Media can find photos of the EIB Group’s management and headquarters, logos, and B-roll videos in the press kit available on the EIB website.
About Limagrain:
With a French agricultural cooperative as its parent company — headquartered in the Limagne-Val d’Allier plain in the heart of Auvergne — Limagrain is a seed and agri-food group with over 9,500 employees in 53 countries. A historical expert in plant breeding, Limagrain breeds, produces, and markets field seeds and vegetable seeds of high added value. To make the most of the output from its 1,300 farmer members, the Group also develops unique agri-food value chains in France and internationally. In a context of accelerating climate, environmental and demographic challenges, through its various business activities Limagrain contributes to addressing global agricultural and food challenges. The world’s fourth-largest seed group, Limagrain recorded sales of €2.5 billion in 2024-2025.
Website: www.limagrain.com – #Limagrain
About InvestEU:
The InvestEU programme provides the European Union with essential long-term funding by mobilizing significant public and private funds to support a sustainable recovery. It also helps to mobilize private investment in support of the EU’s strategic priorities, such as the European Green Deal and the digital transition. InvestEU brings together under one roof the multiple EU financial instruments available to support investment in the EU, making project financing in Europe simpler, more efficient and more flexible. The programme comprises three components: the Fund, the Advisory Hub, and the InvestEU Portal. The InvestEU Fund is implemented via financial partners who invest in projects using the EU budget guarantee of €26.2 billion. The entire budget guarantee supports implementing partners’ investment projects and increases their risk-bearing capacity, thereby expectedly mobilizing at least €372 billion in additional investments.