Syngenta 9M results: key 18.4% margin gain offsets 5% sales drop

Syngenta Group reported sales of $17.3 billion for the first nine months of 2026, down 5% from a year earlier, while EBITDA increased 1% to $3.2 billion. The EBITDA margin widened 100 basis points to 18.4%, reflecting a shift toward higher-margin businesses and disciplined cost management.

Excluding the planned reduction of grain trading and other lower-margin activities, underlying sales grew 1%. Syngenta said sales of newly introduced technologies increased, and pricing for those products was above average. Price competition in off-patent crop protection products continued to weigh on results, particularly in Brazil and elsewhere in Latin America.

Third-quarter sales fell 10% to $5.2 billion, while EBITDA declined 2% to about $800 million. The company attributed the revenue decline to the continued reduction of selected lower-margin businesses and delayed purchases in some markets.

Crop Protection sales were flat at $9.8 billion for the nine-month period, with 20% growth in China offset by declines in Latin America and Brazil. Seeds sales were also flat at $3.3 billion. ADAMA revenue slipped 1% to $3.0 billion, while Syngenta Group China sales fell 18% to $3.1 billion, mainly because of portfolio reductions.

The results extend the margin-recovery trend reported in Syngenta’s first-half 2026 results. The group enters the final quarter with profitability improving, although farm-income pressure, cautious purchasing and unfavorable weather continue to constrain demand.