Argentina: El Niño and crop-establishment inputs top the agenda at PGP Agronegocios growers’ day in Balcarce

As a strengthening El Niño sets the tone for Argentina’s new potato season, agri-input distributor PGP Agronegocios gathered growers and agronomists in Balcarce — the heart of the country’s main potato-producing region — for a technical day on crop nutrition, early-season protection and the climate outlook.

The event was reported by the Argentine potato portal Argenpapa on 9 October 2026, based on information supplied by the organiser; product performance described below therefore reflects the companies’ own claims rather than independent trial results.

Climate: what El Niño could mean for the season

The closing session, arguably the most relevant for the wider sector, was given by meteorologist Nicolás Méndez. He outlined the expected effects of El Niño over the coming months and their possible implications for potato production, covering both crop development and harvest, with the aim of helping growers plan field operations. The source does not report specific forecast figures from his talk.

Official outlooks underline why the topic matters. Argentina’s National Meteorological Service (SMN) confirms that El Niño is active and could reach very high intensity during the southern-hemisphere spring and summer of 2026–27. The SMN’s three-month outlook for October to December points to a higher probability of above-normal rainfall across much of central and eastern Argentina, while Buenos Aires province is expected to see a cooler-than-average spring.

Editorial assessment: for potato growers, cool and wet conditions typically bring risks of delayed planting and harvesting, waterlogged soils and heightened late blight pressure. How far these risks materialise in south-eastern Buenos Aires will depend on the actual rainfall pattern — seasonal outlooks describe average tendencies only, not individual weather events.

Phosphites and fertilisers

The programme opened with Osvaldo Francia, head of Afital and a long-standing figure in the region, who discussed the properties and uses of phosphites and presented the company’s product range in detail.

Agronomist Carlos Tajan then reviewed Brometan’s portfolio for potatoes, singling out Verno, which he described as acting both as a fertiliser and as a preventive treatment against fungal and bacterial infections. Brometan is an Argentine distributor of agricultural inputs, active for more than 30 years and focused on labour-intensive crops such as fruit and vegetables.

Combo Papa: biostimulation, nutrition and plant strengthening

Daniel Melucci of PGP Agronegocios presented the Combo Papa I and Combo Papa II programmes, which combine biostimulation, nutrition and plant strengthening. They are designed to support crop establishment, root and foliar development and more efficient nutrient uptake.

The headline claim is a 10–12% improvement in phosphorus use efficiency, a figure taken from the company’s own technical material; the methodology and trial conditions behind it were not disclosed. Benefits for crop health and development were also mentioned, but without quantified results.

The Combo Papa PRO version adds thiamethoxam for protection against insects in the early growth stages. Thiamethoxam is a systemic neonicotinoid insecticide; in the European Union its outdoor use has been banned since 2018 over risks to bees, and its approval was not renewed in 2019, so the package as presented would not be usable by EU growers. It remains registered in Argentina and a number of other markets. According to the presenter, the technology has already been field-tested in potatoes, although no trial results were published.

“La Papa está en Balcarce”

The PGP Agronegocios team also presented the programme for a new edition of “La Papa está en Balcarce” (“Potatoes are in Balcarce”). Details of the date, venue and format were not disclosed.

It should not be confused with the technical conference “La Papa, de Argentina al Mundo” (“Potatoes, from Argentina to the World”), held on 25 August 2026 at the Balcarce Rural Society showground and organised by the Balcarce Food Bank — a separate event with a different organiser.

Context: why Balcarce matters

Balcarce is known as Argentina’s “national potato capital”. South-eastern Buenos Aires province — mainly the districts of Balcarce, Tandil, Lobería, General Alvarado and General Pueyrredón — has in recent years accounted for around 40% of national potato output, with roughly 30,000 hectares under the crop. The area is home to processors including McCain, Gauchitas and Finca Balcarce, as well as the joint research unit of Argentina’s National Agricultural Technology Institute (INTA) and the National University of Mar del Plata, one of the country’s leading centres for potato research.

Events like this one illustrate the role input distributors play in the region. Research by INTA-affiliated academics has found that these companies largely shape the technical practices of local farms. Growers’ days of this kind serve both as knowledge-transfer forums and as marketing platforms — worth bearing in mind when weighing the claimed product benefits.

Sources

1. Argenpapa — original report (9 October 2026): https://www.argenpapa.com.ar/noticia/17919-argentina-balcarce-pgp-agronegocios-reunio-a-productores-y-tecnicos-en-una-jornada-sobre-nutricion-proteccion-y-clima-para-el-cultivo-de-papa
2. PotatoPro — preview of “La Papa, de Argentina al Mundo” (16 July 2026): https://www.potatopro.com/es/node/173567
3. Noticias NQN — SMN outlook for October–December (8 October 2026): https://www.noticiasnqn.com.ar/noticias/2026/10/08/355797-super-nino-el-smn-anticipo-mas-lluvias-y-temperaturas-bajas-para-la-primavera
4. Perfil — SMN spring outlook, temperatures in Buenos Aires province: https://www.perfil.com/noticias/clima/el-nino-se-intensifica-y-anticipa-una-primavera-mas-lluviosa-y-fria-que-dice-el-nuevo-pronostico-trimestral-del-smn-a50.phtml
5. Contexto Tucumán — El Niño intensity outlook: https://www.contextotucuman.com/nota/412073/las-zonas-de-la-argentina-con-mayor-riesgo-por-el-nino-que-provincias-podrian-sufrir-lluvias-extremas-e-inundaciones.html
6. Diario de Cuyo — on Brometan: https://www.diariodecuyo.com.ar/sanjuan/Brometan-y-su-propuesta-de-bioestimulantes-para-el-agro-20221105-0014.html
7. PotatoPro — area and share of south-eastern Buenos Aires: https://www.potatopro.com/news/2018/crearían-un-museo-de-la-papa-en-argentina
8. La Capital (Mar del Plata), 2023 — same figures: https://www.lacapitalmdp.com/la-agrupacion-agricultores-unidos-construira-un-museo-de-la-papa-en-balcarce/
9. Argentine Chamber of Deputies — Balcarce as “national potato capital”: https://rest.hcdn.gob.ar/web/proyectos/291484/adjuntos/105467
10. Bruno, Viteri & Sili (2021), Mundo Agrario — the role of input distributors in Balcarce: https://doi.org/10.24215/15155994e171