Brazilians to buy more agricultural inputs in the coming months

Despite expectations of tighter margins in the 2025/2026 harvest season, Brazilian farmers are set to continue investing in agricultural inputs to boost their production. This is the finding of a survey conducted by Broto, the agribusiness platform of Banco do Brasil, the country’s most traditional state-owned bank with private participation.

Over the next six months, according to Broto’s report, entitled ″Rural Producer Expectations for 2025,″ no fewer than 51.03% of farmers plan to purchase inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds. Another 41.38% of respondents indicated their intention to acquire agricultural machinery and implements.

Solutions for crop management and pastures ranked next on the Brazilian shopping list, with 30.34% of purchase intentions. Following closely, with 20% each, are precision agriculture technologies and irrigation equipment. Lastly, storage solutions are on the radar of 15.86% of participants.

The unprecedented study, ″Rural Producer Expectations for 2025,″ was conducted through an online questionnaire sent to 105,000 producers registered on the platform.

Regarding Annual Gross Agricultural Revenue (RBA), 53.33% of respondents fall into the small producer category, with an RBA of up to R$ 360,000 per year. Meanwhile, 28.89% are considered medium-sized, with an RBA between R$ 360,000 and R$ 1.6 million, and 17.78% are large producers, with an RBA exceeding R$ 1.6 million. Livestock and soybeans are the primary activities.

Of the producers surveyed, 26.67% own properties of up to 10 hectares; 29.63% have between 10 and 100 hectares; 37.04% own between 100 and 1,000 hectares; and 6.67% have over 1,000 hectares. The geographic distribution of respondents is as follows: Southeast (29.63%), South (21.48%), Northeast (20.74%), Central-West (17.78%), and North (10.37%).

Rise of Marketplaces

The survey highlights the growing role of digital channels in producers’ routines. Marketplaces, for instance, are already the second most-used research channel. While 74.48% of respondents still turn to physical stores or sales representatives, 43.45% use marketplaces to compare prices and find deals, and 33.10% use social media for the same purpose.

When it comes to purchases, the preference remains for new machinery and implements (73.79%), but 26.21% consider buying used equipment, seeking a better cost-benefit ratio. The results reflect a gradual shift in consumption habits, combining tradition and innovation, with an emphasis on quality and post-sale support.

Among the criteria guiding supplier selection, product quality was the most cited (91.67%), followed by technical assistance and post-sale support (78.99%), as well as financing conditions (77.94%). Delivery time also stood out, mentioned by 75.56% of participants. Interestingly, price ranked second-to-last in importance, cited by 66.67%. The influence of networking was also noted, as 52.21% said they follow recommendations from other producers.

Challenges on the Horizon

According to the survey, the main challenges faced by rural producers are access to credit (37.24%) and rising operational costs (33.79%). Logistics (0.69%) and input availability (1.38%) appear as secondary concerns at the moment.

″The report projects the future of agriculture from the perspective of the producers themselves, revealing their priorities in seeking more sustainable and competitive conditions. The results offer a comprehensive insight into the sector’s pain points and indicate a market in transformation, where quality, relationships, technical support, and adequate financial conditions are essential elements for modernizing production,″ stated José Evaldo Gonçalo, president of Broto.

In turn, Alexsandro de Sousa Claudino, executive superintendent of Commercial, Marketing, and Customer Success at Broto, noted, ″With this survey, in addition to all the solutions we already provide, we now offer the market with strategic information about producers’ behaviors and demands. This directly contributes to the planning and operations of companies in the sector.″

(Editing by Leonardo Gottems, reporter for AgroPages)