Argentina is expected to have a larger soybean harvest in the 2026/27 season.
In addition to a likely expansion in acreage, favourable yield prospects in particular are underpinning expectations. The El Niño weather phenomenon could also provide additional support.
Argentina’s soybean harvest in the 2026/27 marketing year is expected to exceed the previous year’s level. How much larger the crop will ultimately be, will depend above all on weather conditions in the coming months.
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) currently forecasts Argentina’s 2026/27 soybean crop at 50 million tonnes, up 0.7 million tonnes year on year.
By contrast, the Ministry's Foreign Agricultural Service in Buenos Aires (FAS) is significantly more optimistic, projecting 52.5 million tonnes. The El Niño weather phenomenon could also support a larger harvest, as in Argentina’s key growing regions it is often associated with above-average rainfall during the growing season, improving soybean yield prospects.
The USDA and FAS base their forecasts on an expected increase in soybean area of around 0.9 million hectares to 17.1 million hectares.
The main drivers behind this development are, above all, firm prices for soybeans and soybean products, as well as production costs that are more favourable than those for maize. Persistently robust demand for soybean meal is also improving the margins of domestic processors and, in turn, supporting demand for soybeans.
According to research by Agrarmarkt Informations-Gesellschaft, soybeans remain an attractive cropping option compared with maize. In the northern growing regions, sowing is likely to begin in the coming weeks, while the main sowing window starts in early November.
