“China isn’t a market we’ll have this year and lose the next/
they’re opening the door to Argentine peas long-term”

*This article is sponsored by the Shanghai Pulses Congress, taking place on August 19-21, 2025 in Shanghai, China.
 

Great to meet you, Federico! Tell us a little about SSP.

Southern Seed Production started producing corn seed in 2001, which was our main business until around 2015/2016, when we went into pulses. Now SSP produces sunflower, green and yellow peas, different types of lentils, mung beans, and other commodities – all non-GMO. We are a family-run business, handling everything from production to export into over 40 countries.

You are the largest exporter of peas in Argentina, is that right?

Yes, exactly right. Peas are our main product as we are located in Arrecifes, Buenos Aires – very close to the main production area and logistics hubs, where we have three processing plants. In recent years, we've become the largest pea exporter in Argentina, representing around 20% of total national exports.

Which have been this year’s big markets for Argentinian peas?

This year, our top five destinations in order are China, Senegal, Brazil, Venezuela, and Italy. We are also seeing some exports to India of yellow peas. Volumes have been going up steadily since 2019/20, when Argentina exported 63 KMT, then 71 KMT the next year, jumping up to 185 KMT in 2021/22. 2022/23 was the drought year, where we only exported 15 KMT, but that shot back up to 102 KMT last year. By June 2025, Argentina had already exported almost 120 KMT. 

How have sales been for other pulses? 

Argentina had a good bean harvest, and exportable supplies are solid right now, but the market is very competitive, especially with Brazil as a more prominent seller. Chickpeas are recovering, but other countries are cheaper. Mung is commercially attractive, with strong prices in demand and lentil production is slowly growing and increasing in quality. There's a lot of work to be done on improving agricultural practices, processing standards, and seed quality, both will be essential to compete with the other big exporting countries.

Is part of making those improvements to ensure you meet the needs of Chinese import regulations? Their market seems to have become very important for Argentina this year.

It took Argentina two years to get phytosanitary approval for pea exports to China – there was hard work on both the Chinese and Argentinian sides to make sure exporting companies could adapt their plants and meet the requirements of the Chinese market. This year, there’s been an opening for Argentina due to the Chinese tariffs on Canadian peas, leading China to look at us as an attractive option for peas because of our prices. 

How have pea sales to China been so far this year? 

SSP has exported 25% of all exports to China this year. Strong exports are great for peas in Argentina because they let farmers know China is a stable market with high demand, giving them an incentive to push up production. From the new crop this year, 30 KMT has already been exported to China out of a production of between 200-210 KMT. In a destination like China, it’s not only numbers that are important, but also that our clients are showing interest in Argentinian peas. That’s no small thing; it tells us this isn’t just a market we’ll have one year and lose the next. They’re opening the door for us to develop that trade route so we can count on it every year – maybe with more or fewer tons, but it will be a market to send our peas to. 

Are there possibilities for bulk shipments of peas from Argentina to China soon?

Typically, China buys its yellow peas from Canada in bulk. Currently, all of our exports go to China in containers, but we are working to get approval for bulk port facilities with full traceability – this would allow us to be more competitive and offer pea exports at better prices to China and other countries around the world.

Will Argentina be able to maintain its original markets as well as send large quantities to China?  

One of the challenges for us is ensuring we have availability of crops for as many markets as possible, as sometimes when a large market like China comes and they can absorb all of the peas and the smaller markets can be left to one side. That's why I think it's vital we grow our production and make sure we have varied demand from different countries.

Finally, can you tell us about this year’s pea acreage?

We think there will be a rise between 10%-20% in our pea hectares. Last year we had around 83,000 ha, but this year we could see levels close to 100,000 ha – and they are just the official registered numbers, excluding the smaller producers that may not have registered in time. That could represent an additional 20% more hectares.