20/07/2026 22:33 - Economia
According to the Argentine Foreign Trade (ICA) report released on July 20, 2026 by the National Institute of Statistics and Census (INDEC - Argentina's official statistics agency), the local economy is showing remarkable strength. The trade surplus for the first half of the year reached the impressive figure of USD 13,923 million, representing a growth that quintuples the records of the same period last year.
Overseas sales totaled USD 49,454 million between January and June 2026, with a year-on-year increase of 24.4%. Minister of Economy Luis Caputo celebrated the results, highlighting that this is a historical record for the country.
In the first half of the year, imports totaled USD 35,531 million, registering a slight year-on-year drop of 3.9%. In June, however, there was a rebound of 7.3%, reaching USD 6,861 million, which some analysts interpret as a possible sign of recovery in domestic consumption.
| Exports | USD 9,055 million (+24.5% year-on-year) |
| Imports | USD 6,861 million (+7.3% year-on-year) |
| Trade Balance | USD 2,194 million surplus |
The main drivers of this growth are agriculture, energy (thanks to the massive development of the Vaca Muerta shale formation, one of the world's largest oil and gas reserves), and mining. This more uniform inflow of foreign currency reduces the historical seasonal dependence on agriculture and projects total revenues close to USD 100,000 million for the entire year of 2026. This solid scenario facilitates the accumulation of reserves by the Central Bank of Argentina and provides fundamental exchange rate stability for the country's development.
Alfredo S. Quiroga
