Photo: Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab).
Brazil’s National Supply Company (Conab) estimated the 2025–26 grain and oilseed harvest at a record 361.7 million tonnes in its September 15 report, up 2.6% from the previous crop and 0.3% from its August estimate. The revised projection incorporated better-than-expected productivity in the second maize crop as harvesting advanced. The total cultivated area was estimated at 83.5 million hectares, 1.7% higher year on year.
Maize production was projected at 144 million tonnes, compared with 142.96 million in the previous monthly estimate. Soybean production was forecast at 180.4 million tonnes, 5.2% above the prior crop, with exports projected at a record 116.2 million tonnes. Conab also estimated record soybean and maize yields. Cotton lint output was projected at 4.14 million tonnes, 1.5% higher than in 2024–25, while the wheat crop was forecast at 5.74 million tonnes, down 27.1%, and rice at 11.08 million tonnes, down 13.2%.
The overall increase therefore masked divergent outcomes among crops. Conab linked the gains to larger planted areas in soybean and maize, improved yields and favourable weather; the wheat decline reflected both a smaller cultivated area and lower productivity. The agency’s estimates are used by producers, traders and public authorities to assess supply, logistics and food-market conditions.
The figures are estimates of the season’s harvest and export volumes, not final audited totals. Conab said the September report was its final survey for the completed 2025–26 grain season. A separate outlook published the same day covered prospective planting for 2026–27; its projections should not be confused with the estimate for the crop just completed.