Agricultural commodities merchant Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) is investing in a new oilseed processing facility in Bahía Blanca, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, in what the Rotterdam-headquartered company describes as one of its largest investments in the country over the past decade and its first greenfield development there in that time.
The plant will be built at the site of LDC’s existing Bahía Blanca complex, integrating with the location’s storage, logistics, and deep-water port infrastructure. Once operational, it is expected to process up to 4,000 tons of sunflower seeds or soybeans per day, a scale that would rank it among the largest sunflower crushing facilities globally. Construction is scheduled to begin before year-end.
Strengthening export competitiveness
CEO Michael Gelchie stated, “This investment reflects Argentina’s role as a strategic market for LDC, combining a strong agricultural production base with industrial, logistics and export capabilities to connect local production with global markets.
“Representing one of the company’s largest investments in Argentina over the past decade, and its first greenfield development in that time, the expansion of our capabilities in Bahía Blanca reflects our long-term commitment to supporting the country’s agro-industrial development, including through investments that strengthen export competitiveness in Argentina and the region.”
Sunflower husks to power the plant
The facility will run entirely on renewable biomass energy sourced from sunflower husks, with the goal of reducing operational carbon emissions. Equipment will include preparation systems for cleaning, dehulling, conditioning, and flaking, as well as high-capacity presses, solvent extraction technology, and enclosed conveyor systems. The design also incorporates advanced automation and integrated material handling.
The dual-crop processing model, capable of handling either sunflower seeds or soybeans depending on supply and market conditions, is intended to allow year-round operational flexibility and stronger connectivity with international markets for growers in the region.
LDC’s Argentina footprint
LDC already operates agro-industrial complexes in General Lagos and Timbúes in Santa Fe Province, in addition to the Bahía Blanca site in Buenos Aires Province, alongside more than 22 storage and commercial locations across Argentina. The new plant will complement a recently commissioned high-oil-content seed crushing line in Timbúes, as well as a multiseed crushing and refining facility LDC acquired in Foktő, Hungary.
Juan José Blanchard, LDC’s Group COO and Head of Latin America, added,” Expected to be one of the largest sunflower crushing plants globally, it reflects LDC’s commitment to continued investment in efficient, integrated and reliable industrial capabilities, strengthening our role as a trusted partner to both growers and downstream customers.”
