Argentina’s sunflower planting advances ahead of average pace amid record crop forecasts

Sunflower planting for the 2026/27 season in Argentina is progressing faster than the historical average. According to the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange (BAGE), farmers had planted 58.7% of the planned area as of October 28, compared with 50.3% a week earlier. The current pace is approximately 7.5 percentage points ahead of the five-year average.

Overall, weather conditions remain favorable for planting. Around 76.2% of the planted area has adequate or optimal soil moisture, supporting normal crop development. However, excessive soil moisture in southern agricultural regions is complicating fieldwork, while low temperatures are slowing crop growth. Bird damage remains an additional concern.

BAGE forecasts Argentina’s sunflower planting area at approximately 3.1 mln hectares in 2026/27, unchanged from the previous season. Meanwhile, in its October forecast, USDA estimates the planted area at 3.5 mln hectares and expects record sunflower production of 8 mln tons, compared with 7.61 mln tons in 2025/26.

A potential increase in Argentina’s sunflower harvest could significantly affect the global oilseed market. Higher seed supplies would create opportunities to expand sunflower oil and meal production and exports, intensifying competition in key importing markets. This could particularly affect the positions of Ukrainian and Russian sunflower oil suppliers in 2027.

However, the outlook for a record harvest remains dependent on weather conditions. Excessive soil moisture in southern regions, low temperatures, and possible delays in fieldwork could affect the completion of planting and subsequent crop development. Production prospects will depend on crop conditions during the growing season and weather patterns in the coming months.

Tags: crop forecast, sunseed, Argentina, sown area