Rising Diesel Prices Are Wreaking Havoc in Soybean Giant Brazil

A combine harvester fills trucks along the edge of a soybean field during a harvest near Mambai, Goias state, Brazil, on March 3.Photographer: Dado Galdieri/Bloomberg

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March 16, 2026 at 7:36 PM UTC

Rising oil prices caused by war in the Middle East are driving up costs for crop exporters in Brazil, where growers rely heavily on diesel-powered trucks for transportation.

Brazil is currently at the peak of shipping soybeans, its most important export crop. The run-up in diesel prices is making it more expensive to transport the soybeans to terminals while adding to broader inflationary pressures.