THIS REPORT CONTAINS ASSESSMENTS OF COMMODITY AND TRADE ISSUES MADE BY
USDA STAFF AND NOT NECESSARILY STATEMENTS OF OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT
POLICY
Date:
GAIN Re
port Number:
Approved By:
Prepared By:
Report High
lights:
Argentine food and beverage (F&B) imports for 2013 are projected to slightly decline, as a result of the slowdown of the
country’s economy, and the trade restrictive measures taken by the government of Argentina (GOA) which are adversely
affecting
imports. The GOA is expected to continue to closely monitor imports as a means of trying to maintain a surplus
trade balance by restricting imports and promoting exports. Through these measures Argentina appears to have acted
inconsistently with its WTO ob
ligations, and t
he United States, the European Union,
Panama,
and Japan, have requested the
WTO to establish a dispute settlement panel to examine Argentina’s import restrictions.
However, there are good prospects for products that are not produced local
l
y
or their production is not sufficient to supply
the entire domestic demand, such as high value F&B and food ingredients.
Andrea Yankelevich
Melinda D. Sallyards
Food Exporter Guide Argentina
Exporter Guide
Argentina
1/14/2013
Required Report
-
public distribution
Post:
Author Defined:
SECTION I. MARKET OVERVIEW
Business Climate
Argentine i
mports of consumer oriented food and beverages (F&B) in 2013 are projected to slightly
decline from 2012 levels,
to an
estimated 984 US$ million. This is due to several factors: the
economic uncertainty and the slowdown of the domestic consumption; the exp
ectation of high
inflation, and the GOA import substitution policy.
The trade restrictive measures taken by GOA
include the overly broad use of non
-
automatic import licensing trade balancing requirements, and
pre
-
registration and pre
-
approval of all impor
ts into Argentina.
Companies from several countries
(including the U.S.) report long delays in the issuance of import licenses, and wait periods of up to
six months and longer.
Sometimes, companies are denied import licenses without justification or
expl
anation. Restrictions on repatriation of profits to foreign headquarters is also causing concerns
to both exporters and investors. The lack of transparency in GOA’s implementation and
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banks, companies and small savers.
The local F&B industry is very lar
ge and well developed.
Many multinational companies operating
locally, together with numerous Argentine manufacturers, meet the demand of the domestic
market.
Post anticipates that the F&B import market will continue to be strong in products which Argen
tina
does not produce or where its supply is limited, and in gourmet products which will be targeted
primarily to the higher income segment.
The best prospects are in products of well
-
known brands (confectionery products, sauces, snacks,
almonds, beer
, etc.), food ingredients (for functional foods, for the beverage industry, etc.) and
commodity
-
type products which are not produced domestically (e.g. palm hearts, tuna fish,
bananas, coffee, cocoa, etc.)
Argentina’s development of new products for the d
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Buenos Aires