Agriculture & Fisheries
From The Report: Argentina 2018
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No area of the economy has felt the turnaround from the election of President Mauricio Macri more sharply than the agriculture sector. The country’s vast agricultural plains, known as the pampa húmeda, are one of the world’s great breadbaskets, but years of state intervention in the sector have diminished crop diversity and led to falling exports. However, the new government’s pro-market stance opens the door for Argentina to again be a major grain exporter. Major infrastructure upgrades will help to expand the agricultural frontier and cut transport costs, while an eventual decline in inflation and stabilisation of the exchange rate could allow farmers to deploy capital where it is needed most. Just as Argentine agriculture proved it was at the cutting edge of technology in the 1990s, it is now showing potential to lead the way in the 2020s.

This chapter features interviews with Luis Miguel Etchevehere, Minister of Agro-industry; and Gustavo Grobocopatel, Chairman, Grupo Los Grobo.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Fairer fields: Previously neglected segments are growing with new strategies
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No area of the economy has felt the turnaround from the election of President Mauricio Macri more sharply than the agriculture sector. The country’s vast agricultural plains, known as the pampa húmeda, are one of the world’s great breadbaskets, but years of state intervention in the sector have diminished crop diversity and led to falling exports. However, the new government’s pro-market stance opens the door for Argentina to again be a major grain exporter. Glory Days In the 1990s three…

Analysis

Top of the crops: Free-market policies to diversify a soybean-dominated sector
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For 20 years the soybean has been at the heart of Argentina’s agricultural boom. From 1996 to 2014 soybean production increased from 11m tonnes per annum to more than 60m tonnes as global demand for the versatile product grew rapidly. However, over the last decade the continued expansion of soybean cultivation has taken place at the expense of other key staples, such as maize and wheat. Under the governments of President Néstor Kirchner and President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, between…

Interview

Market of the world: Luis Miguel Etchevehere, Minister of Agro-industry, on boosting competitiveness to penetrate more international markets
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Intereview:Luis Miguel Etchevehere What foreign investment opportunities are there in the agricultural industry? LUIS MIGUEL ETCHEVEHERE: Wine, dairy products, fruits, meat and maize are some examples of the wide variety available in Argentina. There is no single Argentine agricultural product that does not represent an investment opportunity, especially given the higher demand from the Asian region. However, the vast majority of Argentine grains are exported without added value, and this…

Analysis

Plenty more in the sea: New investments and union negotiations bode well for a once- struggling sector
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With more than 5000 km of coastline and important stocks of hake, shrimp, squid and other marine species, the Argentine fishing industry has long been a central pillar for the economies of the country’s southern states, and an important source of export revenue. Under previous governments, however, the industry lost competitiveness due to underinvestment and high costs. If the current government can broker a lasting agreement between companies and crew, Argentina has the potential to boost…

Interview

Green industrial revolution: Gustavo Grobocopatel, Chairman, Grupo Los Grobo, on reaching higher levels of production and exports
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Interview:Gustavo Grobocopatel How do you assess innovation in local agriculture? GUSTAVO GROBOCOPATEL: Argentina’s agriculture sector innovates in terms of processes and in technology; however, it is not very innovative in developing new products or adding value. In that sense, it is difficult for us to move forwards, and this has to do with both a lack of export competitiveness as well as obstacles that exist in the global trade of highly processed products. There is no doubt that the…