The Agribusiness chains continue to exist It occupies a structural role in the Argentine economy. According to a report by the Rosario Stock Exchange (BCR), Explain agriculture and its related activities around 20% of the country’s added value, one in five jobs, almost 20% of government revenue and three out of every five dollars generated through exports.
In terms of wealth creation, the BCR stated that agro-industrial chains accounted for 18% of national gross value added (GVA) in 2024. They contributed to this in concrete numbers “1.8 pesos out of every 5 pesos of gross value added,” a rebound since 2023, when historic drought pushed the sector’s share to a low of 16%, its lowest level since 2004.
The report puts this development in historical perspective. Between 2004 and 2011, agro-industrial chains recorded a cumulative GVA growth of 33.15%. However, the Argentine economy as a whole grew by 46.7% over the same period, resulting in a relative reduction in the share of agriculture in the overall economy.
Between these years, the sector’s participation increased from 20.4% to 19.1%, with a peak in 2005 when it reached 21.4% of the national GVA. As of 2012, the indicator remained relatively stable, with fluctuations related to certain climatic and macroeconomic contexts.
A relevant fact is that according to the general growth cycle The Argentine economy stopped its sustainable growth and agriculture was not excluded from this dynamic. The peak of GVA was reached in 2015 and at the end of 2024 the level was “8.91% below the stated peak”.
By breaking down the internal contribution of agro-industrial chains, the study shows that the The manufacturing industry is the main component of the sector’s value added, with an average share of 40.7%. in the analyzed period. It follows Main activity “agriculture, livestock, hunting and forestry” with an average of 35%.
On the whole, These two sectors explain about 75.7% of the annual value added of the agro-industrial chains. Further behind are trade with an average participation of 17.6%, real estate and commerce with 3.3% and transport, storage and communication with 1.8%.
Although the general structure remains stable, the report points out some peculiarities. In the years of During severe droughts such as 2009, 2018 and 2023, the contribution of primary activity drops significantly, while trading recorded a “slight structural increase” in both relative and absolute terms.
On the outside front, Between 2004 and 2024, agribusiness accounted for 56% of national exports, exceeding 67% in years such as 2020 and 2021.
In both 2024 and the first half of 2025, agro-industrial complexes accounted for 58% of the country’s export basket. Within this universe, the soybean, sunflower, corn, wheat and barley complexes were concentrated in about 70% of agro-industrial exports and 41% of total exports in 2024.
The report also highlights federal nature of the sector. In 11 of Argentina’s 24 jurisdictions, agro-industrial exports account for more than 70% of provincial external sales. This strengthens its role as a driver of the regional economy.
One of the most compelling data of the work is linked to the Foreign exchange contribution. At the time 2004-2024, The agricultural industry generated a Net contribution to foreign exchange balance of more than $644.4 billion, which is equivalent to 92.5% of the Argentine economy’s net foreign exchange earnings.
Actually together Along with mining, agriculture was one of the only two sectors with a positive net dollar contribution over the past two decades. Without both, the remaining sectors of the economy accumulated an exchange deficit of almost $400,000 million, with imports far outpacing exports.
In tax matters, The report appreciated that In 2024, the rural and agro-industrial chains generated $26,281,595 million in tax revenues to the nation state. Based on total revenue of $142,031,453 million, this represents 19% of Treasury revenue, ie “About 1 in 5 pesos.”
Measured in constant 2004 pesos, agricultural revenues remained virtually stable compared to 2023, with annual growth of 1%. The sector’s main tax contribution was again VAT, which accounted for 46% of the total tax rate.
The Rosario entity document revealed that the Export duties (DEX) They saw a recovery in their participation, accounting for 19% of the sector’s collection in 2024, compared to 15% the previous year. However, it was clarified that this level is far from the peaks of 2021 and 2022, when they reached 32% and 31%, respectively, due to high international prices.
As for them Employment, The BCR estimates that agro-industrial chains created a total of 3,969,000 jobs in 2022, representing 21.2% of private employment in the country. Of this, 36% was the main activity of agriculture and livestock breeding.
Finally, the organization said that the The manufacturing industry related to agriculture declared 1,282,000 jobs, the associated wholesale and retail trade created 1,142,000 jobs. The rest was distributed between transportation, real estate activities, fishing and related services.
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