Thirteen DAA companies named El Niño in disclosures dated 16 April to 16 October 2026: some already reporting delayed planting, more replanning the 2026/27 season around it.
# Headline
Thirteen companies in the Demeter Ag Aggregate (DAA) named El Niño in disclosures dated between 16 April and 16 October 2026. Four described it as already under way: delayed planting in Central America, India and Europe, and a raised fire risk at one of Kuala Lumpur Kepong's concessions. The rest were planning around it, from BrasilAgro cutting its first-crop cotton area by 70% to sugar millers in Brazil and growers in Peru and southern Africa flagging yield risk. The season behind them was strong: SLC Agrícola, GrainCorp and Cresud each reported a record crop.
# Forces
# Dry conditions are already delaying planting
4 of 13 companies
American Vanguard (AMVAC) said in its 10 August quarterly filing that drier-than-normal El Niño conditions in Central America had delayed or suspended crop planting and reduced demand for several of its products. UPL said on 3 August that El Niño was causing planting delays across major regions including India and Europe. Chambal Fertilisers and Chemicals, in a 30 July investor presentation, said erratic rainfall and prolonged dry spells had affected Kharif crop acreage in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. It counted high El Niño impact in 15 districts and medium impact in 71, and expected continued moisture stress to cut yields, increase pest and disease pressure and raise the cost of cultivation. Kuala Lumpur Kepong reported on 6 October more than 90 days without rain this year at its PT MJSP concession, which it said had significantly increased the risk of fire and reignition there.
"The exceptionally dry conditions this year, with more than 90 days without rain due to the Super El Niño, have significantly increased the risk of fire and reignition in PT MJSP's concession area." — Kuala Lumpur Kepong (2445.KL), Press Release, 2026-10-06
# Growers are planning the 2026/27 season around it
10 of 13 companies
BrasilAgro said on 4 September that strong El Niño forecasts for the coming cycle had led it to a selective 2026/27 planting plan, cutting first-crop cotton area by 70% and soybean area by 5%. SLC Agrícola had flagged the risk to yields in May, citing a 92% chance of El Niño over June to August. Two Brazilian sugar-cane millers set out what it could mean for their next crop: São Martinho said on its 20 September call that a strong El Niño may lower its output of recoverable sugar (ATR) and raise its cost per unit if volumes fall short, and Jalles Machado said on 18 September that it may bring early, abundant rains to São Paulo and Paraná that could significantly affect yields. Hortifrut flagged concentrated rainfall and temperature swings as a risk to production in Peru, and Camellia expected uncertainty in yields and pricing at its South African and Malawian businesses. In the United States, Gladstone Land said in its 11 August quarterly filing that El Niño conditions were expected to persist through the rest of 2026, potentially bringing more precipitation, though timing and amounts were uncertain.
Suppliers made the same point from the other side. UPL warned on 14 August that severe El Niño conditions could lower crop yields across several geographies and hurt demand for crop-protection products. Bayer, in a 22 June aide-memoire, expected El Niño to raise temperatures globally, with possible effects on yields and market conditions, and Australian feed maker Ridley cited the Bureau of Meteorology's indication of a probable El Niño event later in the year.
"The strong El Niño climate forecasts for the upcoming cycle prompted a selective planting plan for the 26/27 crop, resulting in a 70% reduction in first-crop cotton area and a 5% reduction in soybean area." — BrasilAgro (LND), 6-K, 2026-09-04
# The season just harvested was a strong one
SLC Agrícola reported on 12 August a record soybean yield of 4,146 kg per hectare for the 2025/26 crop, 4.7% above the previous year, which it attributed to favourable climatic conditions. GrainCorp reported in May a record Western Australian winter crop of 26.9 million tonnes in 2025-26, 17% above 2024-25 and 49% above the ten-year average, and good soil moisture in Victoria and southern New South Wales for the 2026-27 east coast crop. Cresud reported on 8 September record wheat production and strong soybean and corn yields in Argentina, with highly favourable weather everywhere except parts of Brazil. Jalles Machado said favourable weather between harvests helped lift its average cane yield to 89.6 tonnes per hectare, 6.1 tonnes above the regional average.
"The soybean harvest achieved a record yield of 4,146 kg per hectare, 4.7% higher than the previous crop year, due to favorable climatic conditions." — SLC Agrícola (SLCE3.SA), Earnings Release, 2026-08-12
Demeter Theme Spotlight · 2026-10-16 · grounded in companies' own filing disclosures.
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