He Beef consumption in Argentina recorded a 3.4% year-on-year growth in Novemberdespite the sharp increase in prices that affects all cuts, as reported by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Meat and Derivatives of the Argentine Republic (CICCRA).
The data collected by the agency Argentine News point this out the per capita consumption of beef reached 48.3 kilos per yearwhich represents a 2.3% year-on-year improvement when considering the January-November average compared to the same period in 2024.
According to the CICCRA report, the apparent recovery means that consumption in the country has increased by 1.1 kilos per inhabitant annually, equivalent to 2,101 million tons of bone-in beef (tn r/c/h).
Roasting led November increases at 13%
He Beef prices saw a sharp rise in November with a monthly increase of 6.6%Product of the change in the relative price of the cuts. This figure doubled October’s increase of 2.6%.
Prices for the main cuts of beef in November were as follows:
- Fry: $13,304.75 per kilo (13% month-on-month increase).
- buttocks: $16,740.11 per kilo (10.2% increase).
- Quadril: $16,063.71 per kilo (9.4% increase).
- Ordinary minced meat: $8,018.7 per kilo (9.5% increase).
- range: $13,024.15 per kilo (8.4% increase).
- Frozen burger box: $5,756.54 for 4 units (2.9% increase).
On the positive side, the price of whole chicken recorded a monthly decline of 1.0%. Over the last four months, the price has fallen by 6.8% to reach $3,642.98 per kilo.
Increases compared to the previous year of up to 76.8%
Compared to the previous year, the picture is even clearer. Beef prices recorded an annual increase of 53.2% in November, higher than the 47.3% annual increase in October.
The cuts that increased the most over the year were:
- Roasted: 76.8%.
- Quadril: 75.9%.
- Buttocks: 73.7%.
- Palette: 71.2%.
- Ordinary minced meat: 59.7%.
Frozen hamburgers saw a 42.7% annual increasewhile whole chicken saw a more modest year-over-year increase of 21.1%.
Stable production but declining exports
The meat processing industry produced 2,881 million tons of beef per piece per hour in the first eleven months of the year, an amount practically identical to the amount recorded in January-November 2024.
However, November production reached 245,000 tons, down 6.3% from October and down 6.7% year-on-year.
On the export side, foreign sales of beef recorded a year-on-year decline of 10%, amounting to 779.6 thousand tons in eleven months. CICCRA attributed this decline to “the decline in Chinese purchases in the first half of the year.”
In November in particular, the seasonal decline in shipments to Israel (-71.6%) explains much of the monthly decline. Year-over-year, total exports fell 2.4%, driven by lower sales to China, Israel, Mexico, Canada, Chile and Italy, offsetting higher shipments to the Netherlands and the United States.
The panorama of the Argentine meat market reveals a paradox: while prices continue to rise rapidly, consumers are maintaining and even slightly increasing their consumption, reinforcing Argentina’s historical preference for beef.
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