Agriculture in South America
The 12 countries and territories of South America produced 259 million t of cereals (8.3% of the world), 24.3 million t of vegetables (2.1% of the world), 92.3 million t of fruit (9.7% of the world), 47.8 million t of meat (12.8% of the world) and 69.7 million t of milk (7.1% of the world) in 2024. The largest crops were sugar cane, soybeans and maize. Its largest shares of world output are in maté leaves (100%), quinoa (100%) and cashewapple (82%).
- Cereals
- 259 million t
- 8.3% of world · +38% in ten years
- Vegetables
- 24.3 million t
- 2.1% of world · +10% in ten years
- Fruit
- 92.3 million t
- 9.7% of world · +9.4% in ten years
- Meat
- 47.8 million t
- 12.8% of world · +16% in ten years
- Milk
- 69.7 million t
- 7.1% of world · +5.5% in ten years
Totals by group, 2024
| Group | South America | Share of world | 10-year change | Largest producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cereals | 259 million t | 8.3% | +38% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Vegetables | 24.3 million t | 2.1% | +10% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Fruit | 92.3 million t | 9.7% | +9.4% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Roots and tubers | 47.5 million t | 5.0% | −3.2% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Pulses | 4.7 million t | 4.9% | −0.2% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Tree nuts | 711,002 t | 3.9% | +73% | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| Meat | 47.8 million t | 12.8% | +16% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Milk | 69.7 million t | 7.1% | +5.5% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Eggs | 7.2 million t | 7.2% | +40% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Cattle | 386 million | 24.5% | +9.9% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Pigs | 75.2 million | 7.8% | +17% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Sheep | 63.7 million | 4.7% | −1.7% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Goats | 24.6 million | 2.1% | +20% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Chickens | 2.82 billion | 10.2% | +22% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
Animals in head; other figures in tonnes.
Largest crops, 2024
| Crop | Tonnes | Share of world | 10-year change | Largest producer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sugar cane | 845,115,738 | 43.6% | +0.5% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Soybeans | 210,342,125 | 52.9% | +35% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Maize | 185,828,312 | 15.3% | +47% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Wheat | 29,904,564 | 3.7% | +23% | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| Cassava | 25,713,606 | 7.5% | −16% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Rice (paddy) | 24,823,443 | 3.0% | +0.1% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Bananas | 20,739,582 | 14.9% | +11% | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
| Oranges | 19,241,546 | 28.6% | −3.3% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Potatoes | 18,805,482 | 4.8% | +18% | 🇵🇪 Peru |
| Oil palm fruit | 15,857,015 | 3.8% | +37% | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Seed cotton | 9,887,826 | 13.6% | +81% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Sorghum | 8,531,968 | 13.3% | +23% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Tomatoes | 8,327,827 | 4.4% | +12% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Grapes | 7,324,662 | 9.6% | +0.5% | 🇨🇱 Chile |
| Barley | 6,855,917 | 4.8% | +81% | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| Lemons and limes | 5,407,709 | 23.3% | +94% | 🇦🇷 Argentina |
| Cotton seed | 4,991,014 | 12.2% | +95% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Plantains | 4,970,206 | 11.1% | −5.7% | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| Pineapples | 4,791,912 | 16.3% | +6.0% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
| Coffee, green | 4,673,882 | 41.4% | +22% | 🇧🇷 Brazil |
South America’s largest shares of world output
Crops with the highest share of world production grown in South America (above 100,000 t).
Countries of South America
Production in 2024, in tonnes (cattle in head). Click a column to sort.
| Country | Cereals | Vegetables | Fruit | Meat | Milk | Cattle | World #1 | Prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | 139 million | 9.3 million | 41.6 million | 29.6 million | 36.9 million | 238 million | 10 | Market prices |
| 🇦🇷 Argentina | 85.7 million | 3.9 million | 7.7 million | 6.4 million | 10.9 million | 52.8 million | 1 | Market prices |
| 🇵🇪 Peru | 5.9 million | 3.2 million | 8.2 million | 2.4 million | 2.2 million | 5.8 million | 5 | Market prices |
| 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 5.8 million | 142,108 | 753,355 | 580,201 | 559,000 | 13.6 million | — | |
| 🇨🇴 Colombia | 4.3 million | 2.6 million | 12.0 million | 3.2 million | 7.9 million | 30.3 million | 1 | Market prices |
| 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 4.1 million | 179,765 | 448,615 | 695,238 | 2.3 million | 12.0 million | — | Market prices |
| 🇧🇴 Bolivia | 3.7 million | 478,076 | 1.5 million | 1.1 million | 643,822 | 11.2 million | 1 | |
| 🇻🇪 Venezuela | 3.5 million | 1.3 million | 3.2 million | 1.1 million | 4.0 million | 15.7 million | 1 | |
| 🇪🇨 Ecuador | 2.8 million | 478,389 | 9.9 million | 1.0 million | 2.0 million | 3.4 million | — | Market prices |
| 🇨🇱 Chile | 2.6 million | 2.5 million | 6.7 million | 1.6 million | 2.3 million | 3.0 million | — | Market prices |
| 🇬🇾 Guyana | 1.1 million | 247,022 | 385,322 | 87,418 | 21,089 | 98,851 | — | |
| 🇸🇷 Suriname | 226,034 | 11,667 | 39,313 | 12,565 | 2,709 | 28,821 | — |
Source: FAO. 2025. FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products. Accessed on 4 November 2026. fao.org/faostat. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Charts, rankings and changes calculated by Husfarm. Continental totals calculated by Husfarm from country figures.