Glacier FarmMedia — Argentina is expected to reap 48 million tonnes of soybeans in 2025/26, the United States Department of Agriculture attaché in Buenos Aires said in a report released on Feb. 25. That’s slightly lower than the USDA’s official estimate of 48.50 million tonnes.
It’s quite common for the USDA’s various attachés worldwide to come up with different calculations than those from the department. Overall, the Buenos Aires desk was not too different from the USDA’s numbers, but there were a few exceptions.
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The attaché placed harvested area for soybeans to be 15.80 million hectares compared to 16.50 million from the USDA. Yields differed as well, with the attaché at 3.04 tonnes per hectare versus 2.94 by the department.
The attaché noted that Argentina experienced a drier than normal January, but the country received sufficient rain earlier this month to bolster its crops.
Imports, crush
While the USDA pegged Argentine soybean imports at 7.80 million tonnes, its Buenos Aires desk came in lower at seven million, due to the crush increasing from 42 million tonnes in 2024/25.
Both were close on Argentina’s 2025/26 soybean crush, with the attaché at 43 million tonnes and the USDA at 42.50 million.
Exports, carryover
One notable difference was in Argentina’s exports, with the USDA at 4.60 million tonnes and the attaché estimating six million. There was also a notable gap in feed, waste and domestic consumption with USDA at 7.20 million tonnes versus 5.50 million by the attaché.
That also led to a sizeable distance in ending stocks, with the USDA projecting 5.86 million tonnes at the Buenos Aires desk at 4.35 million.
Sunflowers, peanuts
For sunflower seeds, the attaché estimated Argentina’s production for 2025/26 at 5.80 million tonnes and ending stocks of 857,000 tonnes. The USDA calls were 5.50 million and 914,000 tonnes, respectively.
The Buenos Aires desk placed Argentina’s peanut production at 1.44 million tonnes compared to 1.50 million by the USDA. There was a wide difference in the carryover, with the attaché at 985,000 tonnes versus 473,000 by the USDA.
