Brazil wants to buy more fertilizer from Argentina. According to Brazil’s Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, Cléber Soares, Argentina could become his country’s main supplier. With support from the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA), the two countries are discussing how they can strengthen their cooperation.
Brazil is highly dependent on imported fertilizer. According to Soares, Brazilian agriculture used about 50 million tonnes in 2025, 92 percent of which was imported. A large part came from suppliers in the Northern Hemisphere. According to him, Argentina offers an alternative thanks to the large natural gas reserves at Vaca Muerta. Natural gas is an important raw material for the production of nitrogen fertilizer, including urea.
Argentine Agriculture Secretary Sergio Iraeta said during a meeting at the grain exchange in Buenos Aires that his country has sufficient natural gas to supply its own agriculture with urea and also supply Brazil. Those supplies do, however, require an expansion of production capacity.
One of the planned projects is a urea plant by energy company Pampa Energía in Bahía Blanca. According to IICA, the estimated investment amounts to US$2.7 billion. The plant could produce 2.1 million tonnes of urea annually. During his visit to Argentina, Soares spoke with chairman Marcelo Mindlin about the project.
The rising price of urea makes Brazil’s search for suppliers more urgent. Soares said his country is also exploring opportunities in Nigeria, Angola and China, but wants closer cooperation with neighbouring Argentina.
Iraeta also called for more trade and knowledge exchange between the two countries. According to him, they can jointly take a stronger stance against trade barriers for food products. IICA states that disruptions in production and trade have driven up fertilizer prices worldwide and is working with governments and the agricultural sector on joint solutions.
