Argentine Bean Exports are on the Rise

March 20, 2018
Posted in: News

Argentina’s marketing year runs from July through June. According to the Global Trade Atlas, from July through December 2017, Argentina exported 267,757 MT of dry beans. Argentina’s export volume for July through December 2018 was up 7% compared to previous year data for that period. The top markets for this year have been Brazil (98,017 MT), Algeria (28,258 MT), Turkey (26,742 MT), Spain (17,286 MT) and Italy (15,838 MT). Brazil imports mostly Argentine black beans, whereas the others mentioned are mostly alubia buyers. Additionally, several of Argentina’s top markets are importing significantly more dry beans this year than last year. Mexico, which had not imported any Argentine dry beans last year, has emerged as an important destination in 2017/18, taking 11,719 MT of Argentine dry beans from July through December.

Climate conditions in northwestern Argentina, where the country’s major dry bean growing areas are located, were arid heading into the bean planting window. Growers in the southern part of the growing area, where mostly black beans are grown, delayed the start of planting with the hope that rains would materialize. The rains did come, but only after the close of the corn planting window. As a result, it is possible that cornfields that went unseeded may end up being planted to dry beans. Conditions remain drier than the historical norm, but an in-country source reports that the bean plants that have emerged look good so far. In the northern part of the growing region, where mostly alubia and colored beans are grown, planting started pretty much on time, but heavy rains in February have slowed planting progress and resulted in some crop losses. Planting normally wraps up by March 20 . USDBC will take another look at Argentine planting as it progresses and will conduct a crop survey at the start of summer.