During the monitoring period, Brazil’s major field crops entered the late growing season and the critical harvest stage. Agroclimatic conditions were characterized by clear regional differences in rainfall, near-average temperature, and below-average photosynthetically active solar radiation. National rainfall reached 286 mm, 11% below the 15-year average (15YA). Average temperature was 22.5°C, slightly above the 15YA by 0.1°C, while photosynthetically active solar radiation was 660 MJ/m², 7% below the 15YA. As biomass accumulation is estimated as a function of rainfall, temperature, and solar radiation, national potential biomass accumulation reached 851 gDM/m², 4% below average. However, remote-sensing indicators showed generally favorable crop conditions. The Maximum VCI reached 0.89, and the Crop Production Index was 0.99, close to the recent five-year average, suggesting no widespread signal of abnormal production losses.

For soybean, the planting area reached 47.019 million hectares this season, a substantial increase of 8.82% from last season (Figure 2.4). The expansion was mainly driven by continued development in newly cultivated areas in the Central-West and the northern agropastoral transition zones. Although rainfall deficits in core producing areas such as Mato Grosso caused some disturbance to seed-weight formation during the filling stage, water and temperature conditions during the key growth period were generally suitable. In addition, relatively dry weather favored harvest progress. Average yield declined only slightly from 3.916 t/ha last season to 3.867 t/ha, down by 1.25%. Driven by strong area expansion, total soybean production reached 181.827 million tonnes, 12.617 million tonnes higher than last season, representing an increase of 7.46% and setting a new record high. Overall, the increase in soybean production was mainly driven by area expansion.

For first-season maize, the planting area was 4.1265 million hectares, 2.08% lower than last season, as some producing areas shifted to soybean due to higher relative profitability (Figure 2.5). Average yield declined from 7.600 t/ha last season to 7.102 t/ha, a decrease of 6.55%, mainly due to insufficient rainfall during the vegetative growth stage. As a result, first-season maize production reached 29.308 million tonnes, 2.722 million tonnes lower than last season, representing a decline of 8.50%. For second-season maize, strong domestic feed demand and favorable export prospects supported a sharp expansion in planting area. The area increased from 13.0160 million hectares last season to 17.7776 million hectares, up by 36.58%. Although below-average rainfall in the Central-West and southern producing areas placed pressure on water supply from jointing to pollination, the large area expansion more than offset the yield decline. Average yield decreased from 6.616 t/ha to 6.153 t/ha, down by 6.99%, while total production reached 109.393 million tonnes, 23.283 million tonnes higher than last season. This represented an increase of 27.04% and also set a new record high. Combining the two maize seasons, Brazil’s total maize planting area reached 21.9041 million hectares, 27.13% higher than last season. Average yield was 6.332 t/ha, down by 7.65%, while total maize production reached 138.700 million tonnes, 20.560 million tonnes higher than last season, representing an increase of 17.40% and reaching a historical high.

Overall, Brazil’s soybean and maize production both reached new record highs in the 2025–2026 season. Soybean production growth was mainly driven by area expansion, while the increase in maize production was primarily supported by the sharp expansion of second-season maize area. Although yields generally declined, the reductions did not change the overall high-production pattern. Soybean output exceeded 181 million tonnes, further consolidating Brazil’s dominant role in global soybean supply. Maize production approached 139 million tonnes, providing an important additional supply to the international feed grain market. Continued attention should be paid to weather conditions during the grain-filling and maturity stages of second-season maize, as well as the impact of port shipment pace on exports.

Figure 2.4 Spatial distribution of soybean in Brazil in 2026

Figure 2.5 Spatial distribution of maize in Brazil in 2026