Mexican economy is not expected to grow in 2025
Economic activity grew 5.7% in February compared to the same month in 2024, the fourth consecutive month of annual growth. (Indec)
Argentina’s main agricultural regions will face dry weather over the next week, the Buenos Aires Grain Exchange reported on April 23rd. The weather is expected to accelerate the delayed 2024/25 soybean harvest, which has been hampered by excess soil moisture in many fields. (Buenos Aires Grain Exchange)
Argentina is moving forward with reforms and “disciplined” financial conditions, according to the International Monetary Fund. According to the fund’s director, Kristalina Georgieva, Argentina’s GDP could reverse the recession recorded in 2024 and grow up to 5% in 2025, but the result “will depend on the effects of global tensions”. (IMF)
In March, coffee exporters accumulated a loss of US$ 1.5 million due to the non-exportation of 637.7 thousand bags, caused by logistical bottlenecks and the exhaustion of port infrastructure. (Cecafé)
According to Fernanda Maciel, deputy director of international relations at the National Confederation of Agriculture, the potential for Brazilian exports to China is much greater than what is currently being explored. “Although China is Brazil’s main trading partner, accounting for 30% of its agricultural exports, our exports do not reflect the diversity of Brazilian agricultural production. There is great potential to be explored.” (CNA)
Leandro Conde Faruoli is Case IH’s new marketing and communications director. (Case IH)
Fruit exports totaled US$ 280 million in the 1Q2025, up 24.78% in volume. (Abrafrutas)
Farmers in the State of Mato Grosso will need 107.62 bags/ha of corn just to pay the Effective Operating Costs of the 2025/26. (IMEA)
Chicken meat exports to Arab countries increased 9.95% in the 1Q2025. Sales continued to grow at the same pace as last year, reaching US$ 936.29 million. (Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce)
Farmers from the State of Rio Grande do Sul are requesting help from the Government to solve their debt crisis after droughts and floods. It is estimated debts due in 2025 total US$ 4.93 billion. Since 2018, Rio Grande do Sul has gone through five droughts and two floods, the worst of which was in 2024, affecting 90% of the State’s territory. “We are going to need the Government. If the Government doesn’t help us, we won’t get out of this”, said Congressman Afonso Hamm. (Agriculture Committee of the Brazilian Lower House of Congress)
Soybean harvest in Brazil reached 92.15% of the area forecasted for the 2024/25 season as of April 18th. The pace is slightly ahead of the average for recent harvests. (Pátria Agronegócios)
Chilean President Gabriel Boric said the country will not respond to global trade tensions with retaliation. “We will respond with greater integration”, he stated at the Brazil-Chile Business Forum in Brasilia, capital-city of Brazil. Boric emphasized the need to simplify customs procedures between Latin American countries, as well as the need for investments aimed at improving logistics across supply chains. (Government of Chile)
Brazil and Chile signed a bilateral agreement that expands trade opportunities in the Latin American market. The signing took place during the official visit of the Chilean president to Brazil on 22/04. (ApexBrasil)
Colombia imported almost 12 million tonnes of cereals, legumes and soybean in 2024. According to the National Federation of Cereals, Legumes and Soybean Farmers, “there is no clear policy that allows the grain, legume and soybean sectors to be competitive and profitable to achieve food sovereignty”. (Fenalce)
World Bank has cut its 2025 economic growth forecast for Latin America and the Caribbean to 2.1% from a 2.5% forecast in January, citing growing global uncertainty. The bank said the Mexican economy is not expected to grow in 2025, which is contrary to its previously forecast of 1.5% growth. (World Bank)
The Yaqui Valley is facing its worst crisis in decades, said César Rafael Ocaña Romo, general director of Nexus Agronegocios. The region was once considered the “breadbasket of Mexico”, representing more than 52% of the country’s wheat. According to Romo, the crisis is not just due to drought, but is also structural and dates back years ago, when falling wheat prices led farmers to bankruptcy. (Nexus Agronegocios)
There is no deal yet regarding US tariffs, said Mexican President, Claudia Sheinbaum, after talks with Trump. “There is communication at the level of commerce and economy ministers, and at the presidential level”, said Sheinbaum. (Mexican government)
Wheat exports increased 82% in March when compared to the same period in the previous season. An additional 133.5 thousand tonnes were shipped, mainly to Brazil. (Capeco)
After more than two months of suspension due to pest detection, Peru reopened its market to fresh apples from Chile on April 21st. (SAG Chile; Senasa Peru)
Soybean production is expected to decline slightly in the 2025/26 harvest, after the record previous harvest. The reduction is due to farmers’ decision to allocate part of the cultivated area to corn, due to a recovery in interest in the crop. Most of the soybean continues to be exported in grain form, mainly to China and Argentina. (USDA)
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