Bahia drives Brazil's soybean growth, adding 98,000 hectares in 2025/26 season

A Serasa Experian report shows a 175,000‑hectare increase in soybean planted area for the 2025/26 harvest across Bahia, Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul and the Federal District. Bahia accounted for 56% of this expansion, roughly 98,000 hectares, bringing its total cultivated area to 2.27 million hectares – a 4.5% rise from the previous cycle and a 23% gain over six years. Key municipalities include São Desidério, Jaborandi, Correntina, Formosa do Rio Preto and Cocos.

Corn planting also rose 20% to 360,000 hectares, with Bahia leading at 190,000 hectares, driven by the region’s ethanol‑from‑corn industry. In the Central‑West, soybeans in Goiás and the Federal District reached 5.84 million hectares, a 28.4% increase (1.2 million hectares) since 2020/21, while Mato Grosso do Sul grew to 3.9 million hectares (+14.4% over six years). The report highlights a satellite‑based monitoring tool that helps banks and traders assess credit risk and environmental compliance.

A separate IMEA field study in Northern Mato Grosso rated most soy fields as excellent, leading to a revised state productivity estimate of 66.03 sacks per hectare (up 9.23%). The expected state production rose to 51.56 million tonnes, 1.31% above the previous season. The study notes high grain weight, many grains per plant, low disease and pest incidence, and a favorable climate outlook as La Niña shifts to neutral conditions, benefiting the second‑crop corn season.