The agro-export map of the Greater Rosario region consolidates a reconfiguration of historical proportions. The National Securities Commission (CNV) officially reported the agreement sealed between Molinos Agro and the Argentine Cooperatives Association (ACA) to jointly build a new soybean processing plant in the town of Timbúes.
The corporate move represents a quick strategic market response. After both players attempted to gain control of the troubled Vicentin and failed to win the judicial cramdown process, they have now formalized the investment with a clear goal: to contend for absolute leadership in soybean processing in the region.
The project, which had been anticipated in July, will require a $500 million injection and will be developed on land already owned by ACA. The central infrastructure includes the installation of a crushing line with a processing capacity of 15,000 metric tons per day, in addition to the setup of all associated logistical infrastructure for the storage of beans, meal, and oil.
Under the agreement’s architecture, Molinos Agro (the agro-export arm of the Perez Companc family) will hold a 65% stake in production, securing a floor of approximately 10,000 tons per day. ACA, for its part, will hold the remaining 35% of the operation.
For Molinos Agro, these new production levels will mean an automatic 50% increase in its installed soybean crushing capacity. With this quantitative leap, Perez Companc’s company will reach daily processing volumes of 32,500 tons, a level similar to what agro-industrial giant Bunge currently manages in Timbúes.
National policies and future Master Plan
The motives driving both firms to disburse half a billion dollars respond to a combination of global projections and local macroeconomic expectations. According to company sources, the decision is supported by the policies implemented by Javier Milei’s administration, fundamentally the commitment to a progressive reduction of export duties (retenciones) on soybeans and their byproducts projected starting in January 2027. Globally, they are betting on the growing world demand for animal feed proteins (pigs, chickens, and fish) and oils for domestic consumption and renewable biofuels.
According to company projections, the construction of this new hub will take around three years. However, this capital injection represents only the first phase of an ambitious master plan. If the country’s economic, financial, and agronomic conditions prove favorable, the initiative envisions incorporating additional crushing lines, developing another pier along the Paraná River, and an exponential expansion of storage capacity in the coming years.