This marks a staggering 57% increase compared to July 2024 and a 20% rise over June 2025. The accumulated annual growth rate stands at 43%.
President Javier Milei’s administration has pursued a bold set of policies specifically designed to revitalise Argentina’s agricultural sector and sharply increase export performance. The centrepiece of these reforms is the permanent reduction of export duties—customs taxes historically levied on Argentine grain, oilseed, and meat exports, often referred to as “retenciones.” These duties were major points of contention for the farming sector for decades, as they suppressed farm profits and, in some years, limited export incentives.
Key policies and their direct effects include:
- Permanent Export Duty Cuts: In July 2025, Milei signed Decree 526/2025, enacting a permanent reduction in export duties for key agri-products: soybeans (from 33% to 26%), corn, wheat, barley, and sorghum (all down to 9.5% from 12%), sunflower (7% to 4%), and meats like beef and poultry (from 6.75% to 5%). Duties on soybean by-products dropped from 31% to 24.5%.
- Broader Strategic Goal: These measures aim to enhance the sector’s competitiveness, increase foreign currency inflows, stimulate reinvestment, and accelerate regional economic development. The administration has stated that permanently lower export duties are central to its macroeconomic stabilisation and trade facilitation agenda.
- Impact on Export Volumes: The policy shift immediately catalysed an unprecedented surge in exports. Agro-exports in July 2025 reached US$4.1 billion—the highest since 2002—representing a 57% increase versus July 2024 and a 20% jump from June 2025. This is directly linked to companies taking advantage of the lower duties and preemptively locking in sales under favourable terms before potential future policy changes.
- Fiscal Balance and Broader Economy: While the reduction in export taxes entails a short-term fiscal cost—roughly 0.2% of GDP—the government expects higher economic activity and related tax revenues (from income tax, VAT, and other sources) to partially offset this. The reform aims to provide operational relief to farmers, especially in less competitive regions, and encourage early and increased production for future harvests.
- Regulatory Simplicity: The government has coupled these tax changes with regulatory streamlining, market liberalisation (such as opening imports for used agricultural machinery), and a broader strategy of “debureaucratization,” which further lowers costs and boosts productivity across the sector.
The result is a dynamic upswing in agricultural exports. Milei’s administration has explicitly credited these policies with the July 2025 export record and projects that, if maintained, they can inject nearly $29 billion of additional value into the Argentine economy over a decade. Analysts also expect spillovers throughout logistics, storage, finance, and agro-industrial services.
In summary, the growth in Argentine agro-exports—culminating in the historic figures of July 2025—can be directly attributed to Milei’s aggressive strategy of lowering and simplifying export duties, deregulating key segments, and creating a more favourable environment for investment and trade in agriculture.
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