The soybean pesticide market grew 6% in Brazil.

The market for agricultural pesticides used in soybean cultivation grew 6%, to US$10 billion, in the 2025-26 crop year, compared to US$9,45 billion in the previous cycle. The data comes from the recently released annual FarmTrak Soja study by Kynetec Brasil. 

According to the consultancy, this performance was driven by a 1,5% increase in planted area, which in the analyzed regions exceeded 47 million hectares, and by an almost 9% increase in the intensity of treatments, whose average rose from 30,5 (2024-25) to 33,2.

“The devaluation of the real against the dollar, taking into account the period for purchasing soybean inputs, negatively impacted the overall performance of pesticides, by approximately 4,5%. The market, therefore, could have grown more,” emphasizes Vitor Hugo Leite, research specialist at Kynetec.

Regarding prices, Kynetec found an average unit investment per producer, per application, of R$ 35,89 in 2025-26, a value similar to the previous cycle's R$ 35,61.

By product category, FarmTrak Soybeans showed that fungicides remained in the lead, accounting for 39% of the total market or US$3,9 billion. In second place, herbicides totaled US$2,5 billion, 24%, followed by insecticides, at US$2,3 billion or 23%. Seed treatments, nematicides, and other products totaled US$1,4 billion, 14%.

The potential treated area (PAT) in the 2025-26 crop season – an indicator that includes the sum of all product applications made during the period – reached 1,563 billion hectares, 11% higher than the previous figure (1,414 billion hectares).

Advancement of nematicides

According to Vitor Hugo Leite, the nematicide category has gained relevance in input purchases. According to the executive, the segment grew 28% compared to the 2024-25 harvest, reaching US$320 million, corresponding to 3,2% of the total market.

According to Kynetec's forecast, the potential area treated (PAT) with nematicides in Brazil increased by 40% in 2025-26, to 31,46 million hectares, compared to 22,51 million hectares observed in the previous season.

“Until the 2017-18 harvest, nematicide management was 'marginal'. Its application occurred in less than 5% of the cultivated area,” explains Leite. “In recent years, research has recorded continuous evolution in the segment. In the 2025-26 cycle, the products covered 49% of the crops,” he compares. “There is more awareness, nowadays, regarding the risks of this pest,” he summarizes.

FarmTrak also detected another important trend among producers, this one related to the use of soybean varieties containing some characteristic of tolerance or resistance to nematodes. According to Leite, in the 2025-26 crop season, 31% of the planted area received these cultivars, compared to 27% in the 2021-22 period, for example.

“Nematodes affect the entire production system. Control practices go beyond the use of pesticides and varieties with tolerance and resistance characteristics. The producer must keep the pest population at low levels to prevent losses.”

However, Leite concludes, the research indicates that the adoption of nematicides is still far from homogeneous. In regions such as Goiás, Mato Grosso, Rondônia, and Mapitobapa (Maranhão, Piauí, Tocantins, Bahia, and Pará), the adoption of these products exceeds 60%. In Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, however, it is around 10% of the planted area, the executive exemplifies.

According to Kynetec, FarmTrak Soja resulted from more than 3,725 face-to-face interviews with soybean producers throughout the Brazilian agricultural frontier.