The Argentine Confederation of Medium-sized Enterprises (CAME) indicated that local industrialization of products could be key to increasing income and generating employment. The generation of added value in exported products could allow Argentine SMEs to diversify their offerings, improve their competitiveness in international markets, and reduce their dependence on commodity prices for the year 2025.
In 2024, South America was the main destination for SME exports, representing 33.1% of the total exported. Brazil stood out as the main destination within the American continent, with an annual growth of 20.2% in dollars exported. Europe was also a significant market for SMEs, with a growth of 16.4% in dollars exported.
The total exported by SME companies in 2024 was 10.032 billion dollars, representing a 17.3% annual increase and 12.5% of the total exported at the national level. Despite the growth in dollars and export volume, the average price per ton had an annual decrease of 6.3%, settling at USD 1,186.
Of the total exported in 2024, 86.9% was destined for 30 countries out of more than 198 possible destinations. Of the 9,269 companies that exported, 6,428 were SMEs, representing 69.3% of operators that year.
The SME Export Monitor (MEP) from CAME revealed that in 2024 there were declines in dollar exports in four of the 16 sectors analyzed. The Tobacco and derivatives sector had the largest decrease, while Diverse Manufactures showed significant growth. Sector analysis indicated that Unprocessed Foods represented almost half of the total exported by Argentine SMEs in 2024, reflecting that approximately half of the exports in dollars corresponded to products without added value.
