Export Explosion: Argentine Beef to US Grows 369% and Already Reaches US$360 Million

Exports of Argentine beef to the United States have exploded. In the first five months of the year, they already totaled US$360 million, 201% more than in the same period in 2024. And in May alone, the jump was 369%, with sales of US$86 million. Behind this boom is Donald Trump’s decision to expand the import quota from 20,000 to 100,000 tons per year, a gesture of good rapport with Javier Milei.

The most striking fact: during May, Argentina exported 11,000 tons of beef to the US, a volume equivalent to everything shipped during the first eight months of 2024. This is revealed by a report from the Commercial Intelligence Management of PromArgentina, which highlights that beef reached a record value for the January-May period and ranked among the fastest-growing sectors in bilateral trade.

The growth was no coincidence. In early April, the government launched the Argentine Beef Week in the United States, a trade mission organized by PromArgentina together with the Foreign Ministry, the Argentine Embassy, the Secretariat of Agriculture, and the IPCVA. The initiative included business rounds in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and generated more than 200 business contacts. Diego Sucalesca, president of PromArgentina, celebrated that the result was «overwhelming» and that the model will be replicated in other markets with the Argentina B2B Week.

The quota expansion, formalized in February, multiplied by five the volume allowed to enter under that scheme. When Beef Week was launched, more than 7,000 tons had already been certified under the additional quota. This move came one day after the signing of a trade and investment agreement between Argentina and the US, presented as the first concrete fruit of the new bilateral stage.

The overall context is also favorable. Argentine exports to the United States totaled US$3.981 billion between January and May, 46.6% more than a year earlier, a record for the period. Crude oil leads with US$1.304 billion, followed by precious stones and metals (US$616 million). Beef ranks third with US$360 million, but it is one of the fastest-growing sectors. In May, bilateral trade reached US$1.383 billion, with Argentine exports of US$878 million (76% more) and a favorable balance for the country of US$373 million.

Other products also set records: honey exported US$96 million and garlic US$17 million. PromArgentina is already preparing new trade actions, including a new edition of Argentine Beef Week in the US, and is extending the model to other sectors. The mission in the United States was the first time the agency organized three business rounds abroad to connect exporters with strategic buyers in one of the most demanding markets in the world.