Brazil Corn Exports Climb in January on Firm Asian Demand

Brazil kicked off 2026 with robust corn exports. In January, shipments totaled 4.25 million tonnes, up 7.86% from the average of the past five seasons and 18.17% higher than in the same month a year earlier.

The figures come from a weekly report by Mato Grosso’s Institute of Agricultural Economics (Imea), which identified Iran as the top destination in January. The country imported 1.23 million tonnes, accounting for 28.94% of Brazil’s total corn exports for the month.

Mato Grosso leads shipments, Vietnam tops state’s destinations

Mato Grosso maintained its position as the leading exporting state, responsible for 67.56% of national shipments. In January alone, the state exported 2.53 million tonnes, a 46.02% increase year-on-year and 8.39% above the five-year average.

Vietnam was the main buyer of corn from Mato Grosso, underscoring strong demand from Asian markets.

“This performance reinforces solid demand from key Asian markets, supporting the pace of shipments and favoring the flow of the crop over the coming months,” Imea said.

2025 exports post growth

In 2025, Brazil exported 40.98 million tonnes of corn, a 3% increase compared with the previous year. Iran remained the top destination, importing 9.08 million tonnes — a sharp 109% jump from 2024.

The following is a breakdown of corn exports to Iran between January 2022 and December 2025. The data is provided by Datamar:

Corn Exports to Iran | Jan 2022 – Dec 2025 | TEUs

Source: DataLiner (click here to request a demo)

Egypt also expanded its purchases, while China dropped to fifth place among Brazil’s main importers, according to data from consultancy Hedgepoint.

2026 outlook points to further gains

Hedgepoint projects Brazil’s corn exports could approach 44 million tonnes in 2026. Despite the positive outlook, analysts caution that external factors could weigh on performance.

“The main point of attention is the geopolitical context involving Iran, but renewed Chinese demand could once again benefit South America,” the consultancy said.

Source: Portal do Agronegócio

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