China Capitalizes on Argentine Export Policy Shift, Securing 15 Soy Shipments
Recent changes to Argentine export policies have resulted in China purchasing up to 15 Argentine soybean shipments, capitalizing on a temporary suspension of export taxes. Teh move comes amidst ongoing trade tensions between China and the United States, and concerns about lost sales for American farmers.
Reports indicate that American farmers are losing billions of dollars in soy sales to China as prolonged trade negotiations disrupt exports,allowing competitors like Brazil to fill the void. Notably, China had not yet purchased any American soy cargo from its autumn harvest as of the time of reporting.
The Argentine government, under presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni, announced the suspension of export rights on grains and meats until the end of October 2025. This was formalized in decree 682/2025 published in the Official Gazette. The decree stipulates that exporters must liquidate at least 90% of their foreign currency earnings within a specified timeframe – between the measureS implementation and up to three business days after submitting the affidavit of sale abroad (DJVE).
This temporary benefit extends “until October 31, 2025, inclusive,” or “until the end of the day when the sum of registrations of affidavits of sworn sale abroad (DJVE) is reached for an amount equivalent to US $7000 million, whichever comes first.”
Market analyst Javier Preciado Patiño of RIA Consultores highlighted the ambitious nature of the government’s goal,noting that typically around US $1700 million is settled in October. The government aims to generate over four times that value within the window.
the policy shift followed Argentina‘s decision regarding export taxes, wiht one operator stating that “these agreements were closed last night, after Argentina’s decision on the export tax.”
Preciado Patiño also discussed the impact on producers, noting that in June, soybeans were selling for $320,000 per ton, with over 10 million tons sold. While producers anticipated a price increase on July 1st, the price actually rose to $440,000 per ton the following week. He cautioned that producers who exchanged their earnings for dollars at an unfavorable rate potentially lost approximately 40% of their profits when converted back to pesos.
