The information contained herein was prepared between late September and October 2025.
China. According to a USDA Foreign Agricultural Service report dated September 26, 2025, production 2025/26 was projected at 18.8 million metric tons (in-shell basis), slightly higher than the previous season. This increase reflects expanded planting not only in the traditional producing provinces of Henan and Shandong, but also in Jilin, an emerging production area. Despite lower returns following the 2024 harvest, peanuts have continued to offer stronger profitability than competing crops such as soybeans, corn, or cotton. A period of drought in early June affected major producing zones in Henan and Shandong, likely offsetting some of the potential gains from the larger planted area.
Imports have dropped sharply. The estimate for marketing year 2024/25 was reduced to 350,000 metric tons, less than half the previous forecast, due to ample domestic supply and slow consumption growth. Imports from leading suppliers Senegal and Sudan fell significantly, while purchases from the USA declined to around 50,000 MT, compared with nearly 80,000 MT a year earlier.
The processing sector remained steady, with crushing expected to rise slightly to 10.1 M MT in MY 2025/26, supporting a small increase in peanut meal and peanut oil output. Peanut oil production was projected at around 3.2 M MT.
India. Both as reported by the USDA FAS (September 26) and industry sources, production for 2025/26 was forecasted at 7.35 M MT, slightly up from last year’s record crop. The harvested area was expected to decline to 5.45 M hectares. Yields were forecasted to add to 1.35 MT/ha.
Domestic consumption was projected to increase modestly, while crushing demand continued to rise. Total domestic use was forecasted at 6.55 M MT, with 4.2 M MT expected to go into crushing. Exports were forecasted at near 0.8 M MT, constrained by strong domestic demand. Ending stocks were projected at 0.48 M MT, reflecting adequate supply for domestic processors.
USA. According to the USDA Crop Production Report (September 12, 2025), total planted area for peanuts in the USA was estimated at 1.95 million acres (789,140 hectares), representing a 1% increase from the previous forecast and an 8% rise over 2024. The harvested area was forecast at 1.90 M acres (768,900 ha), also up 8% year-on-year, marking a return to broad expansion across most peanut-producing regions. Arkansas was expected to achieve record-high harvested acreage this season, while Georgia remains the nation’s leading peanut producer.
Production was forecasted at 7.40 billion pounds (3.354 M metric tons), a 15% increase from 2024/25. The average yield was projected at 3,890 lbs. per acre (4.36 MT/ha), up 222 lbs. (0.1 MT) from last year. North Carolina was projected to reach a record-high yield. The USDA Crop Progress Report (September 29, 2025) indicated that harvest activity was underway in several states. The eight states that account for 95% of the US peanut planted area reported that, on average, 17% of their planted area has been harvested, which is 4 percentage points ahead of the average for the past five seasons. Florida and North Carolina were the most advanced in harvest progress. Crop conditions were reported as mostly good, with an average across the eight states of 47% good, 32% fair, 11% poor, 8% excellent, and 2% very poor.
An industry source reported that drought conditions have affected some peanut producing regions across the Southeast and Virginia-Carolina areas. While rains in this region have offered limited relief, fields remained drier than normal. While the drought might pressure yields and quality, the full impact remained uncertain.
