consumption reaches its historical minimum (and prices rise 70% year-on-year)

Beyond the price agreement closed by the Government with the exporting refrigerators that dump 6,000 tons at subsidized values, this represents only a tiny part of consumption and currently a kilo of meat hardly falls below $800 / $1,000 on average in the gondolas.

Not even the limitations on exports served to contain the values ​​in the domestic market. It is that in general lines there is little availability of property in the market, in a context in which production costs grow strongly. But the truth is that the prices of the farm standing would have reached a ceiling while the pockets of consumers can no longer support more increases and that is reflected in the fall in household consumption.

It is expected that from the next few weeks a greater availability of livestock will begin to be noticed, while the international market also looks with fear at the Covid zero policy in China, which could complicate Argentine exports of the product to that country.

For now, prices continue to be the great saviors of the international market. In the first quarter of the year, Argentine beef exports totaled 262,000 tons carcass weight, 6% less than in January-April last year. Meanwhile, revenues were US$1,078 million, 31% more than in the same period in 2021. As indicated in the export sector, a downward readjustment of international values ​​is expected that could complicate the business, but what is certain is that at the moment it is not being made effective.

Meanwhile, another by no means minor fact is that while Argentines consume less and less beef, they turn to cheaper substitutes such as chicken and pork, but in both cases they have also been showing more than considerable increases. Last April, chicken meat rose more than 10% and in the year-on-year comparison the increase was almost 69%. Thus, eating meat is becoming more expensive and this is felt in the diet of Argentines.