Today, the members of the Argentine Agroindustrial Council met with the economic team to address the reduction of export duties and promote additional measures that boost a competitive export strategy. In the meeting with the economic team, led by Juan Pazo, head of the ARCA, also participated Santiago Migone, Undersecretary of Production Coordination, and Agustín Tejeda, Undersecretary of Markets of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. The Council reaffirmed its support for the reduction of export duties for products from the cereal-oilseed complex and the elimination of quotas for regional economies, highlighting the importance of these measures. Additionally, they emphasized that over the past 4 years they have worked to achieve the complete elimination of duties for all regional economies. Studies conducted by the Argentine Agroindustrial Council indicate that the recent modification of export duties will have a significant impact on exports, encouraging the marketing of stocks, especially in the first half of the year. It is estimated that exports could reach 98.1 million tons, with a year-on-year growth of 11%, and in terms of value, they could reach USD 47.954 billion, representing an increase of USD 1.738 billion. Sector representatives requested the continuation and deepening of the reduction of duties, arguing that this would send a signal of confidence to the sector and encourage productive planning and the adoption of technologies. Furthermore, they highlighted the need to adjust the requirements to access the benefits of reduced duties for the cereals and oilseeds sector, considering them difficult to meet for companies with limited access to international financing. The inclusion of products derived from cattle, poultry, animal nutrition, and fishing within this duty reduction program was also proposed. The President of the Argentine Agroindustrial Council, José Martins, described the meeting as very positive and emphasized the importance of continuing to work on the reduction of export duties for the entire agroindustrial sector, with simple application measures that do not complicate exporting companies. As a result of these measures, exports are estimated to increase between USD 1.5 billion and 2.4 billion, generating around 60,000 jobs.
