Thanks to Milei, Argentina overtook Brazil and once again led yerba mate exports

In 2025, Argentina regained global leadership in yerba mate exports, surpassing Brazil for the first time since 2019, in a scenario marked by strong growth in the sector and structural changes driven by the government of Javier Milei.

The country reached an all-time record of more than 58 million kilos exported, representing a year-on-year increase of more than 33%. This jump allowed Argentina to consolidate approximately 60% of the global market, reaffirming its dominant position in

the industry.

The growth was not isolated, but has been consolidated over the past few years. In 2024, exports had already shown significant expansion, closing with more than 44 million kilos, which represented an increase of 19.4% compared to the

previous year.

However, it was in 2025 that the sector took a decisive leap, reaching record numbers and once again displacing Brazil from first

place.

In terms of destinations, Syria remains the main market for Argentine yerba mate, accounting for about 77% of total exports. In second and third place are Chile and Spain, which continue to consolidate themselves as key destinations

in volume.

The upward trend did not stop at the turn of the year. During the first months of 2026, Argentine exports maintained growth of more than 45%, reinforcing expectations of a new year of expansion for the sector

.

The cause of this great performance and growth in exports is the deregulation implemented by the Government of Javier Milei.

In particular, the removal of the power of the National Yerba Mate Institute (INYM) to set official raw material prices marked a turning point in market dynamics

.

This measure, together with the elimination of bureaucratic procedures, made it possible to reduce real costs for the industry, improving the competitiveness of exporting companies and facilitating their insertion in international markets.

In that sense, the change in the rules of the game is the key element in explaining sustained growth and the recovery of global leadership.

The new scheme also helped to boost production and to generate more favorable conditions for the expansion of the sector.

In this way, Argentina not only managed to once again surpass Brazil in yerba mate exports, but it did so within the framework of a transformation of the sector aimed at consolidating its position in the long term.