Beef exports: volume adjustment and recovery of international prices

Published Mar 16, 2025

Tridge summary

The Argentine Chamber of Meat and Meat Products Industry and Commerce (CICCRA) reports a 27.2% decrease in meat exports in January 2025, largely due to a 45% drop in purchases from China. Traditional European markets also reduced their purchases, while non-traditional markets like the US, Israel, and Mexico saw increases. Despite the volume decrease, international prices for Argentine beef rose, leading to a negative impact on revenue due to the dependence on volume and the difficulty to offset declines with price increases. Domestically, cattle prices experienced a significant increase in February 2025.

Disclaimer: The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

According to the Monthly Economic Report of the Chamber of Meat and Meat Products Industry and Commerce of the Argentine Republic (CICCRA), 38.5 thousand tons of product weight (ppt) were exported in January 2025, representing a year-over-year decrease of 27.2%. Impact of Lower Chinese Demand on Foreign Trade The decline in export volumes was primarily explained by the drastic drop in purchases from China, a market that has historically been the main destination for Argentine meat. In January 2025, shipments to China contracted by 45% year-on-year, totaling 22,000 tons of raw meat, equivalent to an absolute reduction of 17.97 thousand tons of raw meat compared to January 2024. As a result, China's share of the sector's total exports fell from 75.7% to 57.2% in one year. Other traditional destinations also showed signs of contraction. The Netherlands (-46.9%), Germany (-29.6%), Chile (-17.8%), and Italy (-9.1%) registered declines in purchases of Argentine beef, reflecting a ...

Source: Agromeat