The Visec Rosario Soy premium stands at 10 USD/tonne: the November 2026 contract closed at 366 USD/tonne on A3 Mercados, versus 356 USD/tonne for conventional soy, while the industry debates whether to capture that extra or manage certification by principles.
The entry into force of the European Union's Regulation 1115 on Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), scheduled for January 1, 2027, is reshaping the marketing of Argentine soy and reviving the debate over the Visec platform. Although in practical terms little can be done in the face of the new regime, discussions about who should certify traceability and how to segregate the goods remain open in the industry.
Analyst and consultant Carlos Etchepare asked this Monday on the Agroeducación channel whether the State should not be the one in charge of certifying the georeferenced traceability of soybean meal shipments destined for Europe. That task is being carried out by the Visec platform, an initiative created by Ciara-CEC, The Nature Conservancy, Tropical Forest Alliance and the Grupo Peterson, currently administered by the Rosario Board of Trade.
Grain broker Javier Mariscotti argued that, in a country with Argentina's track record, involving the State can eventually create more problems than benefits, and recalled the disruptions caused by the ONCCA during the Kirchner administrations. So far, the number of Argentine agricultural companies registered with Visec accounts for just over 35% of the national soy area, which means that most producers do not want to be part of that initiative, considering it an unacceptable interference.
Although the number of producers registered on the Visec Soy platform already covers the volume of goods needed to crush and ship soybean meal to the European Union, the reluctance of the majority introduces a logistical challenge. "It is impossible to segregate Visec soy from non-Visec soy (through the traditional channels); what we will have to do is make intensive use of silo bags, which of course have a cost," Mariscotti explained.
The entire European agro-industrial chain is calling for the EUDR to be made more flexible because its design is "incompatible with world soybean meal trade." That implies that the price premium of Visec Rosario Soy, currently at 10 USD/tonne, in fact includes part of the logistical cost associated with compliance with the European rule. "The Visec soy premium implies recognizing the true theoretical payment capacity (of the crushing industry). There is a penalty for those who do not join Visec," Etchepare said.
Analyst Sergio Juve, head of Agrocanjes and New Business at Roagro, argued that "when opportunities arise, you have to seize them, beyond whether we like things or not." "Today Visec is giving you an opportunity for an extra price that may begin to run out at some point; so it seems to me that the best thing for the producer is to take advantage of it now," he stressed.
On Wednesday the Soy Rosario November 2026 contract on A3 Mercados ended at an average of 356.0 USD/tonne, while Visec Rosario Soy for that same position closed at 366.0 USD/tonne. "It seems very important to me that Visec soy prices are transparent by being published on A3 Mercados," Juve stressed, and then added that "more than the theoretical payment capacity, the producer has to analyze his power of opportunity."
