Uruguay's 2026 Winter Crop Planting Intentions Reach Record 825,712 Hectares

Uruguay’s Dirección de Estadísticas Agropecuarias (DIEA) released the results of its 2026 Winter Agricultural Survey, estimating an intention to plant 825,712 hectares of winter crops for dry grain – one of the largest historic sowings in the country. The survey, conducted in June through face‑to‑face, telephone and web interviews with a representative sample of producers, projects wheat planting at 268,540 hectares, colza and carinata at 343,153 hectares, and barley for brewing at 185,000 hectares (including 1,921 hectares for pastures).

The same survey also covered summer crops: soybeans are slated for 1,147,803 hectares and maize for 252,918 hectares. Average soybean yield is forecast at 1,721 kg/ha, a 45 % decline from the previous season due to a severe spring‑summer water deficit, reducing total soybean production to an estimated 1,975,817 tons. The climatic shortfall cut soybean output by almost half compared with the prior record harvest.