EN 
PT_BR While the rivalry between Brazil and Argentina usually ends on the football field, in the corn market the state of Mato Grosso has decided to play in a different league. Despite having a smaller planting area than Argentina, the state has achieved superior productivity and already produces almost the same volume of corn as the entire neighboring country.
A survey conducted by the Mato Grosso Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea) shows that, in the 2025/26 harvest, the state achieved a record productivity of 130.11 sacks per hectare, above the 127.01 sacks per hectare projected for Argentina. Even with a planted area 13% smaller, Mato Grosso reached 58.04 million tons, a volume equivalent to 90.7% of Argentina's production, estimated at 64 million tons.
According to the institute, while Mato Grosso's farms cultivated 7.43 million hectares this season, Argentina sowed approximately 8.40 million hectares. In other words, even with 970,000 fewer hectares, the state managed to surpass the average yield projected for the neighboring country.
According to Gabriel Brandão, a corn analyst at Imea, the result highlights the efficiency gains achieved by Mato Grosso's production over the last few years. The combination of technology, management, investment, and adaptation of crops to the state's conditions has contributed to increasing the cereal's productive potential.
"Corn production in our state has been undergoing a significant transformation. The crop is no longer seen as just a second option after soybeans and has come to occupy a strategic role within the production system," he assesses.
The growth of corn cultivation in Mato Grosso is directly linked to the consolidation of the second crop. Planted largely after the soybean harvest, the cereal has become increasingly integrated into farm planning, allowing for greater utilization of the area throughout the year.
According to Imea, this process was accompanied by the adoption of technologies such as seeds with greater productive potential, biotechnology, more efficient soil fertility management, fertilization, and strategies to position the crop within the best possible window.
According to analyst Gabriel, the result of this state production is not related to a single factor, but to the evolution of the entire production system.
"Producers in Mato Grosso have been continuously improving their management practices and seeking to extract more productivity from the available area. When we look at these numbers, it becomes clear that productive efficiency is one of the state's great strengths," he explains.
In the 2025/26 harvest, weather conditions in Mato Grosso also played an important role. The prolonged rainfall in the main producing regions contributed to crop development and grain filling, favoring productivity.
Data from Imea shows a consolidation of 130.11 sacks per hectare this season, an increase of 2.231 TP4T compared to the 127.27 sacks per hectare recorded in the 2024/25 crop. The area also increased, going from 7.26 million to 7.43 million hectares. As a result, production grew by 4.691 TP4T, from 55.43 million to 58.04 million tons, establishing a new record.
In Argentina, although rainfall also contributed to the productive potential of the crops, excess moisture began to hinder the progress of the harvest. As of September 3rd, according to the data used for comparison, 92.5% of the suitable area had been harvested, while Mato Grosso had already finished harvesting.
According to Gabriel Brandão, the comparison shows how the growth of production in Mato Grosso has changed the state's position within the corn market.
"Mato Grosso already has a production that, in terms of volume, is approaching that of major producing countries. This shows the importance that corn has reached within the state's agriculture and also reinforces the importance of monitoring not only the expansion of the area, but also the productivity gains," he says.
What will the next harvest be like?
Despite the record achieved in 2025/26, the outlook for the next season indicates more caution. In Imea's first estimate for the 2026/27 crop, the corn area should grow moderately, to 7.48 million hectares, an increase of 0.59%.
On the other hand, productivity is initially projected at 119.64 sacks per hectare, a reduction of 8.051 TP4T compared to the current season's record. With this, the estimated production is 53.68 million tons (a decrease of 7.501 TP4T).
Among the factors to consider is the potential influence of the El Niño phenomenon, which could delay soybean planting and consequently reduce the window available for planting the second corn crop. According to Imea, the early end of the rainy season and high temperatures could also increase the risk of water stress.
