Harvesting 11.1 million tons and declining 13.1% in the 2025/26 season, Brazil’s rice production shrank with the planted area decreasing by 13.7%
Brazil’s 2025/26 rice production fell 13.1% to 11.1 million tonnes as cultivated area declined 13.7%, driven by lower profitability and weaker weather. Irrigated output reached 10.4 million tonnes on 1.25 million hectares, while dryland cultivation dropped 32%, sharply reducing production.
With the irrigated area at 1.25 million hectares and dryland farming plummeting 32%, Brazilian rice production fell in the 2025/26 harvest after a strong cycle, a movement explained by the smaller planted area and less favorable conditions in some crops
Brazilian rice harvested less in the 2025/26 season than in the previous cycle. According to Canal Rural, with data from Conab, Brazil’s rice production is estimated at 11.1 million tons in the 2025/26 harvest, a volume 13.1% below that obtained in the previous cycle. It is a double-digit drop in a single year.
And the main reason lies in the size of the crop. According to CNN Brasil, the reduction is mainly due to a 13.7% drop in the cultivated area of rice and less favorable climatic conditions in some crops. Less rice was planted, and part of what was planted yielded less.
How rice production is divided in Brazil
The irrigated crop dominates the result. According to Canal Rural, the irrigated rice area shows a decline of 8.4%, with an estimate of 1.25 million hectares and production of 10.4 million tons in the 2025/26 harvest. Almost all Brazilian rice comes from the irrigated system.
And the dryland system had the biggest drop. According to CNN Brasil, the dryland area fell 32%, with 268.4 thousand hectares and production of 694.8 thousand tons of rice. The crop that relies only on rain shrank by almost a third.
This difference between the two systems explains the sector’s structure. Irrigated rice, concentrated in the flooded fields of the South, has much higher productivity and accounts for almost all national production, while dryland is a small and more vulnerable portion, making it the first to shrink when the scenario tightens.
How much Brazil’s rice area has shrunk
The area shrinkage was widespread. According to CNN Brasil, the cultivated area of rice fell 13.7% in the 2025/26 harvest, with irrigated dropping 8.4% and dryland 32%. Both systems planted less than in the previous cycle.
And this was directly reflected in the harvested volume. According to Canal Rural, rice production was estimated at 11.1 million tons, 13.1% below the previous harvest. The production drop closely followed the area drop.
This almost proportional relationship between area and production is typical of irrigated rice. Since the productivity of flooded fields is high and relatively stable, the final volume depends much more on how many hectares were planted than on yield variations, which is why less area almost immediately means less rice.
Why the Rice Area Declined in Brazil
The driving factor in the decision is profitability. When the price of rice falls after a large harvest, the producer tends to shift part of the area to other more profitable crops at that moment, an adjustment that appears in the next cycle in the form of fewer hectares planted.
Add to this the cost of producing irrigated rice. The system requires irrigation infrastructure, water management, and higher investment per hectare than other crops, which makes the decision to plant more sensitive to the expected price and the cost of financing at planting time.
The numbers confirm this adjustment. According to Canal Rural, Brazil’s rice production fell 13.1% in the 2025/26 harvest, to 11.1 million tons, with the cultivated area declining 13.7%. It was a decline mainly driven by the area.
How the Rice Harvest Compares to the Previous Cycle
The result was well below the previous year. According to Canal Rural, the estimated 11.1 million tons for the 2025/26 harvest represent a 13.1% drop compared to the volume obtained in the previous cycle. Rice went from a strong cycle to a smaller one.
And the composition of the drop was clear in both systems. According to CNN Brasil, irrigated rice accounted for 1.25 million hectares and 10.4 million tons, while dryland totaled 268.4 thousand hectares and 694.8 thousand tons. The sum of the two systems forms the total harvest.
This alternation between larger and smaller harvests is common in rice cultivation. The producer adjusts the area each cycle based on the price and available stock in the country, which causes production to fluctuate from year to year without indicating a structural change in the sector’s production capacity.
How Much Irrigated Rice Supports Brazil’s Harvest
The irrigated system carries almost all the production. According to Canal Rural, the irrigated rice crop accounted for 10.4 million tons in the 2025/26 harvest, on 1.25 million hectares. It is the largest part of all the rice harvested in the country.
And the dryland took a small share. According to CNN Brasil, the dryland area totaled 268.4 thousand hectares and produced 694.8 thousand tons of rice in the same harvest. Less than a tenth of the total came from this system.
This focus on irrigated areas provides predictability to the supply. Since flooded fields depend less on rain at the right time, Brazilian rice production fluctuates more due to planting decisions than yield variation, making the planted area the most important data to monitor each cycle.
What rice production means for the country
Rice is the most common food on Brazilian tables and a significant item in family budgets. National production ensures supply without relying on large-scale imports, which is why every crop fluctuation is closely monitored by those managing food prices in the country.
In the end, the 2025/26 harvest numbers show a cycle of decline after a strong year. With an estimated 11.1 million tons, a 13.1% drop, cultivated area falling by 13.7%, irrigated at 10.4 million tons, and dryland plummeting 32%, Brazil’s rice production has shrunk. Until prices become more attractive, the area won’t recover. Tell us in the comments: have you noticed the variation in rice prices in the market?
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Source : CPG Click Oil and Gas
