Bayer CS registered an expansion of business in North America and Asia/Pacific.
The Bayer Group achieved substantial growth in the second quarter of 2022. “We delivered strong operational performance. In terms of sales, we posted significant gains at Crop Science and strong growth at Consumer Health, as well as a slight increase at Pharmaceuticals, too. And with EBITDA before special items, we even achieved growth of 30 percent,” said Werner Baumann, Chairman of the Board of Management, on Thursday while presenting the company’s half-year financial report. “In view of our good business performance and higher growth expectations, we have raised our full-year guidance,” he explained.
In the agricultural business (Crop Science), Bayer increased sales by 17.2 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.) to 6.461 billion euros, driven by a substantial improvement in the market environment. The division recorded double-digit percentage growth in Latin America and Europe/Middle East/Africa, and also registered an expansion of business in North America and Asia/Pacific. Herbicides posted the strongest growth, at 51.3 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), with sales rising particularly in Latin and North America, as well as in Europe/Middle East/Africa as a result of prices for glyphosate-based products remaining high. Sales at Corn Seed & Traits advanced by 9.5 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), mainly due to price increases in North America, Europe/Middle East/Africa and Latin America. In addition, volumes expanded in all regions except North America. Sales at Fungicides rose by 4.3 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), with growth in all regions except North America, where volumes declined as a result of unfavorable weather conditions. Soybean Seed & Traits saw sales decline by 16.1 percent (Fx & portfolio adj.), largely due to the significant reduction in sales from overproduction in North America and the unit’s withdrawal from the Argentinian market.
EBITDA before special items at Crop Science climbed by 71.8 percent to 1.749 billion euros. The growth in earnings was mainly driven by the substantial improvement in business performance, as well as contributions from ongoing efficiency programs. There was also a positive currency effect of 215 million euros (Q2 2021: minus 111 million euros). By contrast, earnings were diminished by an increase in costs, particularly in the cost of goods sold, which was mainly due to high inflation. The EBITDA margin before special items rose by 6.8 percentage points to 27.1 percent.
