FT Sementes

What FT Sementes does

FT Sementes is a privately held Brazilian soybean genetics company founded in 1972 by Francisco Terasawa in Ponta Grossa, Paraná, recognized as the pioneer and reference in private soybean research in Brazil. The company develops high-performance soybean cultivars through a proprietary Genetic Improvement Program supported by one of Brazil's largest genetic banks, with research stations covering all Brazilian soybean-producing states. Its product portfolio spans five technology platforms — Conventional, RR (glyphosate-resistant), IPRO (INTACTA RR2 PRO), XTD (Xtend), and I2X (Bayer's next-generation Intacta2XTend) — and is tailored to varying latitudes, altitudes, soil conditions, and maturity cycles across Brazil and Latin America.

The company monetizes primarily through licensing royalties on its genetic material, distributed via a network of authorized seed multipliers (Strobel Sementes, Progresso Sementes, UBS Cotripal) and international partners (Semexa in Bolivia, Agrotec in Paraguay). Marketing and customer engagement are anchored in field days, major agricultural trade shows (Expodireto/Cotrijal, AgroBrasília), the Canal Rural media partnership, and the Fields of Tomorrow productivity incentive program with CESB. Leadership is multigenerational, with founder Francisco Terasawa active alongside his son Maurício Terasawa (CEO and breeder, PhD in Genetic Improvement); the company operates as an independent family business with no external funding, employing approximately 68 people.

Name

FT Sementes

Legal name

FT Sementes

Website

https://ftsementes.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

FT Sementes is a privately held Brazilian soybean genetics company founded in 1972, developing and licensing high-performance soybean cultivars through a network of authorized seed multipliers across Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Agricultural Seeds

NAICS

Soybean Farming (11111)

SIC

Agricultural Production-Crops (100)

akta.pro primary industry

Plant Breeding & Variety Development (Conventional) (AFAGAIAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biotechnology & Gene-Edited Trait Development (AFAGAIAG), Seed Trait Licensing & IP Management (Licensing, freedom-to-operate) (AFABALAJ), Seed Distribution & Wholesale (Channel Sales) (AFAGAIAM)

Keywords

• Soybean seed breeding
• Agricultural genetics
• Crop cultivar development
• Soybean research
• Seed licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Ponta Grossa, Parana

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Seed Sales and Genetic Licensing: FT Sementes generates revenue through licensing agreements with authorized seed multipliers who produce and sell FT soybean cultivars to farmers, with royalties collected on genetic material.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FT Sementes develops, breeds, and licenses high-performance soybean cultivars (varieties) through proprietary genetic improvement programs. The company operates one of Brazil's largest soybean genetic banks and offers cultivars across multiple technology platforms — Conventional, RR (glyphosate-resistant), IPRO (INTACTA RR2 PRO with insect protection), XTD (Xtend), and I2X (next-generation Bayer technology) — tailored to different Brazilian and Latin American growing regions. Cultivars are commercialized through a network of licensed seed multipliers who produce and sell certified seeds to soybean farmers.

Product overview

FT Sementes operates as a soybean genetics company offering a diversified portfolio organized into four main technology platforms: Conventional (non-GMO), RR (glyphosate-resistant), IPRO (INTACTA RR2 PRO with insect protection), XTD (Xtend technology), and I2X (next-generation Bayer technology). The company also maintains one of Brazil's largest genetic banks supporting its breeding program. The Fields of Tomorrow productivity incentive program complements the seed offerings by encouraging maximum yields among farmers. Each portfolio is tailored to different agricultural regions, maturity cycles, and disease resistance requirements across Brazil and Latin America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RR Portfolio (Soja RR) Conventional glyphosate-resistant soybean cultivar portfolio offering herbicide tolerance and cost-benefit advantages for refuge area planting. Includes varieties spanning super-early to medium maturity cycles for Brazilian soybean producers.
• IPRO Portfolio (INTACTA RR2 PRO) Advanced soybean cultivars with INTACTA RR2 PRO biotechnology providing glyphosate resistance and broad-spectrum caterpillar control, with broad adaptation, elevated productive ceiling and planned harvest timing for Brazilian soybean farmers.
• XTD Portfolio (Xtend Technology) Soybean cultivars featuring Xtend technology platform for advanced weed management and yield optimization, including branded varieties EAGLE (FTR 1060 XTEND) and HARPIA (FTR 1662 XTD) with initial vigor characteristics.
• I2X Portfolio Next-generation soybean cultivars featuring Bayer's I2X technology for maximum yield potential, broad adaptation and stability, marketed under branded varieties including GRYPHON, DRAGON, TIGER, LION, PEGASUS, MEDUSA, PANTHER, CORAL, SHARK, PUMA, NAJA and SUCURI.
• Conventional Portfolio Traditional non-GMO soybean cultivars without herbicide-resistance traits, including FTS FÊNIX (GM 7.3) and FTS 4188 (GM 8.8), with high productive potential, suitable for human consumption and adapted to various soil types.
• SCORPION Cultivar New soybean cultivar launched in 2025 specifically developed for Brazilian macro regions 3, 4 and 5 (Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Goiás, Roraima and MAPITOBA), featuring extremely high productive potential, root health and tolerance to Cyst Nematode race 14.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87.5 sacks per hectare achieved with FTR 2155 RR cultivar
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• CAEP BrasilminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 January 2025CAEP Brasil coordinated international producer visits to FT Sementes, organizing trips for Canadian producers to learn about Brazilian agribusiness and soybean genetics.
• CESB (Comitê Estratégico Soja Brasil)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2021Partnership for the Fields of Tomorrow program, supporting the National Maximum Soybean Productivity Challenge. FT Sementes sponsors producer registrations in the CESB challenge and provides technical support for participants using FT cultivars, with prizes including trips for top performers.
• UBS CotripalcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 August 2020Agricultural cooperative in Rio Grande do Sul for which FT Sementes developed the FTS Panambi RR cultivar, named in honor of the region's soybean producers. Cotripal's technical team received exclusive presentation of the new cultivar.
• Bayer (I2X, INTACTA, RR Technologies)coreTechnology or Integration · 22 July 2020FT Sementes is a long-standing partner of Bayer for soybean biotechnology, having partnered since the early development of RR and INTACTA technologies in Brazil. The company is a launch partner for I2X cultivars and the Intacta2XTend platform, developing improved soybean varieties with these proprietary traits.
• Strobel SementescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized seed multiplier multiplying FT Sementes cultivars including FTR 4153 IPRO, FTR 4262 IPRO, FTR 3557 IPRO, FTR 1154 RR, FTR 2557 RR, and FTR 2155 RR for producers in Panambi and surrounding regions of Rio Grande do Sul.
• Progresso SementescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized licensee hosting FT Sementes field days in Piauí, distributing cultivars including the new SCORPION variety developed for macros regions 3, 4, and 5 (Mato Grosso, Rondônia, Goiás, Roraima, and MAPITOBA).
• Semexa (Bolivia)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for FT Sementes soybean cultivars in Bolivia, headquartered in Santa Cruz.
• Agrotec (Paraguay)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAuthorized distributor for FT Sementes soybean cultivars in Paraguay, located in Ciudad del Este.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• BASF Agricultural Solutions: BASF operates in the Brazilian soybean seed market following its acquisition of Bayer's assets, and competes both directly with cultivar offerings and indirectly through trait stacks available to other seed companies. It is a broad incumbent competing in the same soybean value chain.
• Corteva Agriscience (Pioneer): Corteva operates the Pioneer seed brand, which is one of the leading soybean genetics platforms in Brazil with proprietary traits and a deep multiplier/distributor network. It competes directly with FT Sementes for soybean cultivar share at the farm gate across Brazilian producing regions.
• Syngenta (NK Seeds / Nidera): Syngenta's NK Seeds brand and acquired Nidera portfolio are major soybean genetics competitors in Brazil and Mercosur, with comparable biotech trait stacks and an established multiplier network that overlaps with FT's distribution channels.
• Bayer (DEKALB): Bayer owns the DEKALB soybean brand in Brazil and licenses the Intacta, INTACTA2XTEND, and Xtend traits that FT Sementes incorporates into its cultivars. Bayer is both FT's most important trait supplier and a direct competitor at the farm level, making it the closest comparable in the Brazilian soybean genetics market.

Direct peers

• TMG (Tropical Melhoramento & Genética): TMG is a Brazilian soybean-focused breeding company with a comparable business model: proprietary cultivar development, technology platform partnerships with global trait providers, and licensed multipliers. It is one of the closest direct peers to FT Sementes by size, geography, and channel approach.
• GDM Seeds: GDM is a Brazilian/Argentine soybean genetics company with significant presence in South America, operating a licensed multiplier model and investing heavily in trait partnerships. It is a direct peer in soybean cultivar development across Mercosur.
• Coodetec: Coodetec is a Brazilian cooperative seed company developing soybean (and other crop) cultivars for distribution through affiliated cooperatives. It competes with FT Sementes in regional markets and overlaps in the licensed-multiplier channel model, particularly in southern Brazil.

Emerging players

• Embrapa Soja: Embrapa Soja is the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation's soybean unit and a public-sector developer of soybean cultivars and breeding lines licensed to private seed companies in Brazil. It is comparable as a competing source of genetic material and cultivar releases, though it operates via a public-research model rather than as a commercial breeder.
• Longping High-Tech (LP Sementes): LP Sementes is the Brazilian subsidiary of Longping High-Tech and a direct soybean seed competitor operating in Brazilian producing regions with proprietary cultivars and a licensed multiplier model similar to FT Sementes.

Regional players

• Don Mario (Grupo Don Mario): Don Mario is one of the largest soybean seed companies in Argentina and Mercosur, with genetics developed for South American conditions. It is a regional peer competing for soybean cultivar share in overlapping geographies like Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fts-sementes-s-a-

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FT Sementes