Argentina to Intervene in Currency Market
Argentina’s Finance Secretary, Pablo Quirno, announced the government will intervene in the foreign exchange market, altering the country’s economic policy. In recent days, the increased demand for dollars has pushed the currency’s exchange rate close to the upper limit of the government-established band of 1,467 pesos per dollar. Until then, the government had been raising the country’s benchmark interest rate in an attempt to curb the dollar’s value increase, but the strategy was insufficient. (Government of Argentina)
The Buenos Aires Grain Exchange released a report with positive outlooks for the main crops in Argentina. For wheat, 84.8% of the area has adequate or excellent water conditions, and 99.5% of the crops are classified as normal or excellent. If the rains forecast for next weekend are confirmed, yields could exceed the historical average. (BCBA)
Brazil’s gross debt increased in July and was higher than expected, while the Brazilian consolidated public sector posted a larger-than-expected primary deficit. The country’s gross public debt as a proportion of GDP ended July at 77.6%, compared to 76.6% the previous month. Net public sector debt was 63.7%, up from 62.9%. (Central Bank)
The coffee harvest ended in August and prices increased sharply. Prices of both coffee varieties exceeded US$ 91.69 per 60-kg bag, with significant increases of nearly 50% for robusta and 28% for arabica. The increase is primarily due to limited supply, with production losses greater than initially anticipated, which tends to hinder the replenishment of global stocks. Furthermore, the additional tariffs imposed by the United States on Brazilian coffee reinforce the upward trend. (Cepea)
The National Supply Company announced the allocation of US$ 55 million for rice Put Option Contracts. The funds will enable contracts to be secured for approximately 200,000 tonnes of the 2025/2026 harvest. (Conab)
State of Mato Grosso recorded the highest corn production of its history. The 2024/25 harvest reached 55.43 million tonnes, and, with initial stocks of 0.11 million tonnes, total corn supply reached 55.54 million tonnes, an increase of 14.03% when compared to the previous season. (IMEA)
Copersucar, the largest Brazilian sugar and ethanol trader, has already increased the crushing capacity of its associated mills by approximately 9 million tonnes per year for the 2025/26 season, following the acquisition of assets from Raízen. The additional potential volume, with the units operating at full capacity, could generate up to 185 million liters of ethanol and 280,000 tonnes of sugar. (Copersucar)
The State of Rio Grande do Sul Agricultural Federation is stressing the urgency of renegotiating the debts of farmers, given the approaching 2025/2026 crop. Farmers’ debts to major financial institutions reached US$ 5.02 billion, involving approximately 65,000 farmers across the State. (Farsul)
Pasture degradation generates serious environmental impacts. It is estimated that approximately 50% of pastures in Brazil have some degree of degradation. This results in annual losses of approximately US$ 1.28 billion. “This degradation is characterized by a progressive decline in productivity, directly affecting the area’s carrying capacity. It can occur at different levels, starting with the loss of pasture vigor and ending with physical soil deterioration, with erosion”, explains Thiago Neves Teixeira, technician at the seeds company Sementes Oeste Paulista. (Soesp; Embrapa)
Soybean planted area expansion is expected to be “limited”, in the 2025/26 season with an estimated growth of 1.5% when compared to the previous season, amid higher production costs. “Tightening margins, high interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainties have reduced the appetite for new investments and limited the potential for crop expansion”. (Rabobank)
BrasilAgro announced it will focus more on acquisition in 2025/26, targeting farms in financial difficulty, according to CEO André Guillaumon. In the 4Q25, the company reached a net profit of US$ 11.23 million, a 74% drop when compared to the same period in 2024. For the 2024/25 season, profit totaled US$ 25.27 million (-39% year-on-year), while annual net revenue grew 12% to US$ 230 million, driven by soybeans and sugarcane. The company’s portfolio totals 249,800 hectares in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia, valued at up to US$ 640 million. (BrasilAgro)
Ouro Safra estimates a surge in revenue from its own trading business. The company expects its revenue to increase from US$ 1.04 billion in 2024 to US$ 1.74 billion in 2025 (+60%), with approximately 30% to 40% of the volume originated being sold by the new trading company. The group operates 32 storage units, 17 input stores and 20 distribution hubs in Brazil. (Ouro Safra)
Lemon exports increased 32.6% in 2025, surpassing Argentina and South Africa. Chile’s export strategy prioritized Europe and Asia (China, Korea, Japan), reducing shipments to the US, which faced high prices and tariff uncertainty. According to Alejandro Moralejo, director of Salix Fruits, the season was “especially complicated by the shortage of supply”, but southern exporters managed to secure volumes and prices, paving the way for 2026. (Salix Fruits)
Research led by researcher Paulina Ballesta developed genomic prediction models for the Japanese plum (Prunus salicina), an important fruit for Chilean exports. The research used more than 1,000 trees and 11,000 molecular markers, achieving accuracy of up to 90% in predicting traits such as weight, acidity, and sugar content. According to researcher Igor Pacheco, corresponding author, the technology will accelerate genetic improvement, reduce costs, and develop “made in Chile” varieties adapted to local climatic conditions, without resorting to GMOs or gene editing. (Horticultural Plant Journal)
Raw milk collection totaled 1,076.2 million liters from January to June of 2025, a 7.9% increase compared to the same period of the previous year. The year-over-year increase was 78.8 million liters, driven primarily by the regions of Los Ríos (+13.3%) and Los Lagos (+6.6%), which together account for over 77% of Chilean production. In June, collection increased 10.4%, reaching 145.8 million liters. (Fedeleche; Odepa)
The Colombian Agricultural Institute (ICA) has certified 25 farms for Good Agricultural Practices. This measure ensures that Colombian avocados meet international standards of quality, safety, and sustainability. “We are protecting water, forests, and biodiversity; our commitment is to sustainability, the dignity of farmers, and the country’s food security”, said Ana María Martínez, ICA manager in the Quindío region. Between 2024 and 2025, Quindío recorded a growth of over 30% in avocado exports. (ICA)
Economy Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the country is ruling out a free trade agreement with Brazil, an idea the two countries have explored several times in the past. Latin America’s two largest economies have repeatedly sought to expand their trade relations, but have failed. Mexican authorities announced they will begin audits of 14 Brazilian meatpacking plants in September to authorize them to export meat to Mexico. (Mexican Ministry of Economy)
The Institute of Agricultural Biotechnology reported that the planted area with second-crop corn in the eastern region of Paraguay reached 1.09 million hectares in 2025, a 23% increase when compared to the previous year. This was the first expansion in three years. Second-crop soybean cultivation fell to 312,000 hectares, a 22% drop. The estimate used remote sensing technologies, geospatial analysis, and geographic information systems to ensure accurate and up-to-date data. (Inbio)
Peruvian conglomerate Grupo Gloria has completed the sale of its industrial plant in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, and the brands Suiza Dairy Corporation (dairy products) and Suiza Fruit Corporation (juices and soft drinks) to Suiza Caribe LLC, an affiliate of Coca-Cola Puerto Rico Bottlers. The transaction marks the company’s definitive exit from the Puerto Rican market, after years of regulatory and financial difficulties that compromised local profitability. The transaction value was not disclosed. (Grupo Gloria)
China has intensified purchases of soybean from Uruguay amid the trade war with the USA. For 2025/26, China has already booked shipments that should increase imports from Uruguay and Argentina to a record of 10 million tonnes. Uruguay’s 2024/25 harvest reached 4.2 million tonnes, up from 3.3 million in the previous season. (USDA; China General Administration of Customs)
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