The dry peas puzzle/
What's Argentina's next chapter in China's pea market?

This article is sponsored by Qingdao Pulses Congress, a joint event by GPC & CFNA, taking place on August 25-27, 2026 in Qingdao, China


Hi Fede! It's great to chat with you again. Tell us a little about this year's pea season in Argentina.

Right now we are in the seeding season here for the new crop, and we will be until July. It's the period of the season where decisions about area are being made, and in the next few months we'll have a better picture of the area we're going to have registered for the new campaign.

Due to the large global stocks for peas and Argentina's previously bumper campaign in 2025/2026, there's less incentive for farmers to plant peas this year. Last year we saw between 380 and 400 KMT of peas here in total. As a result, we have significant stock and we're expecting a significant reduction in production this year.

How much of that stock has been sold from last year's bumper crop? 

The crop is usually ready to ship from November onwards, and the New Year started with positive exports between November and March — mostly to China and Africa. Now we've been noticing a significant depression of demand since the repeal of China’s tariffs on Canada, with around 72 KMT of crop remaining from the most recent harvest.

How much of a reduction are you expecting for the 2026/27 campaign?  

It's important to note that Argentina's average production is normally a bit over 200 KMT, so last year's was nearly double, basically two harvests in one year. The reduction is going to be significant this year due to the combined effect of this extra large crop and global production/demand. It looks like a drastic reduction, but actually it's just a return to the average. 

We don't have concrete data yet on how much it's going to reduce by, but we'll get a better picture over the course of the sowing period. What we do know is that we've seen a significant drop in demand for pea seed from farmers.

Are there concerns about the effects of El Niño on pea crops later in the cycle? 

Right now, conditions are fine, but with El Niño forecast now for the second half of the year, we could see conditions intensify. We'd potentially start questioning if there will be issues during the threshing period of the harvest. That's where there could be some issues. 

The main problem isn't so much quantity as quality, as extreme conditions and extra rainfall during those final harvest periods could have an impact on the quality of the crop. 

Let's talk about the international pea market and the other origins Argentina competes with. How do you see this year going in terms of competition? What advantages does Argentina have?  

The type of competition will vary according to the origin. Canada is obviously going to position itself on both quality and price, and I think the Black Sea region continues to be mostly a prize competitor.

The Argentinian opportunity lies in logistics. Argentina is a very dynamic origin when it comes to quickly loading cargo, and in today's world, logistics matter. We are able to step in and supply markets whenever an opportunity arises.

Canada has had the Chinese tariffs reduced, and since then it's been able to get their stock moving again. They also had competition from Russia, but Argentina can also be a player in the Chinese market. When Russia comes in with more aggressive pricing, it also affects us in terms of our ability to continue exporting volumes to China. 

Our exports into China began as an opportunity when the tariff situations arose, and we've been able to step up to supply China during that period, but we've also managed to improve our quality standards and process standards, adapting them to the needs of the Chinese market. Here we see ourselves as an origin that will keep supporting China and growing as long as there is an opportunity.

What about other regular destinations aside from China, such as Africa, Europe and South America?

We've exported a good share of this new harvest into Africa, and I'd say it's a market that's well supplied right now. We’ve also seen some targeted demand into Brazil. The European markets, like Italy, are a little slower — the heat and weather are likely having something of an effect there on demand.
With plenty of stocks worldwide, buyers can pick and choose their supplier, but I'd say Argentina started with exports at a good pace until March, when the tariff reductions came in. 

Finally, we'd love to hear your thoughts on the GPC’s Qingdao conference coming up in August. SSP was a sponsor of the Shanghai conference last year — Can you tell us what benefits these conventions in China bring to pea traders and other pulse traders around the world?

We've just worked on the Orlando conference in May, and the benefits are really similar for China. The GPC conferences are very important because they bring together the main players in our market. You can find demand-side players as well as producers from all over the world. 

It gives you information to help you make forecasts in such an unpredictable market that is 100% supply and demand — this means the main markers are price, the status of available in-country product and its quality, the weather, and a range of other issues that you can understand better at a convention that lets you make face-to-face contact with your clients.

It's not just about the origins either, it's also about the current situation for people who consume the products we export. Being in the country and speaking with locals provides a wealth of knowledge for any players working in that market.