Overview
- Global gas shortages, geopolitical tensions and export controls have driven large swings in fertilizer markets but domestic urea prices have eased to about 810–850 USD per tonne, lowering immediate cost pressure for farmers.
- Technical surveys and remote sensing by GEA/BCR showed a record maize area of roughly 2.3 million hectares last season, and many producers now intend to repeat that large maize area after the recent fall in urea prices.
- Input-to-product ratios remain above last year, with the urea-to-maize ratio around 4.3 versus about 3.1 a year ago, so margins are still tighter even as the trend has improved from recent peaks.
- Wheat sowing in core provinces is running ahead of the five-year average with reported progress such as 70% in center-south Santa Fe and 60% in southeast Córdoba, but final area and completion depend on imminent rains.
- Recent policy moves—removal of the PAIS tax, lower import duties and simpler import procedures—plus local urea capacity have eased supply worries, yet freight costs and purchase postponement by farmers keep logistical risk and exposure to global shocks.