Argentina rains slow fieldwork as crop sales hit record

Spanish Market: Agriculture
16/10/26

Improved soil moisture is supporting Argentina's 2026-27 crops, but persistent rainfall, low temperatures and limited sunlight are increasingly slowing fieldwork and raising disease risks, according to the separate reports by the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange (Bage) and the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries (SAGyP).

Meanwhile, 2025-26 crop sales surpassed a record 105mn metric tonnes (t) in October.

Bage reported that 90pc of wheat had good water availability and 58pc had reached heading or later stages following October rainfall. Soil moisture across most wheat-growing areas improved, although it remained deficient in parts of the Cordoba province and northern Argentina, according to SAGyP. Wheat in Marcos Juarez city, in Cordoba, also faced localized hail damage, but SAGyP did not quantify the impact on yields.

Nonetheless, repeated rainfall and high humidity delayed northern wheat harvesting, with early yield prospects varying across producing areas. Bage expects yields in parts of central Argentina to fall by 10-30pc from last season because of tiller abortion and frost damage, although SAGyP indicated better prospects in some central areas. Both reports also flagged low solar radiation and increased fungal-disease pressure.

Corn planting remained ahead of last season's as of the week ended 16 October despite rain-related delays. Bage put progress at 34.8pc of a projected 8.4mn hectares (ha) (84,000km²), about 5 percentage points ahead of last year, while SAGyP estimated planting at 31pc, around 4 percentage points ahead. Both agencies reported planting disruptions from rainfall, while low temperatures and limited radiation slowed early crop development in some areas.

Sunflower planting reached 41.9pc of Bage's projected 3.1mn ha as of 14 October, while SAGyP estimated progress at 45pc as of 15 October. Both indicated that rainfall was affecting fieldwork, especially as planting advanced through southern producing areas. Soybean planting remained limited, with SAGyP reporting 10pc progress in the province of Corrientes and the Avellaneda district of the northern Santa Fe province.

As the risks from the effects of the El Nino climate phenomenon are becoming more apparent, Argentina's 2026-27 crops planting and harvesting outlook is becoming increasingly mixed across monitoring agencies.

The weather developments come as Argentina maintains unusually strong old-crop sales. As of 7 October, sales of soybeans, corn, wheat, sorghum and sunflower exceeded 105mn t, 25pc above the five-year average and almost 6mn t above the previous record, according to the Rosario Board of Trade. Recent corn sales were nearly twice their usual pace, while 2025-26 wheat sales reached 23.2mn t, with 94pc carrying a fixed price.

By Mariana Oliveira

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19/10/26

Ukraine sunflower output surges as corn harvest slows

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US corn export sales at 5-week high

16/10/26

US corn export sales at 5-week high

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ASEAN Fertilizers to tackle supply, climate challenges

14/10/26

ASEAN Fertilizers to tackle supply, climate challenges

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Innovation, nutrient efficiency key to Asia agriculture

14/10/26

Innovation, nutrient efficiency key to Asia agriculture

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Brazil’s inflation quickens to 4.58pc in September

09/10/26

Brazil’s inflation quickens to 4.58pc in September

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