The president Javier Milei led the official inauguration ceremony of the La Rural exhibition in Palermo this Sunday.
The president arrived minutes before 11 along with the Secretary General of the Presidency, Karina Milei, and was welcomed by the head of the Argentine Rural Society, Nicolás Pino.
National cabinet officials and political leaders were also present at the venue, including the Chief of Staff, Diego Santilli, and ministers Luis Caputo and Pablo Quirno, as well as legislators and local authorities.
During his speech, Milei focused on the role of the agricultural sector in the country's economic structure. “You are the ones who, since Argentina has been Argentina, have been pulling the country's cart forward, and for that reason, you undoubtedly deserve to be called heroes,” he stated at the beginning of his address.
The President reviewed the measures implemented since the beginning of his administration aimed at improving the sector's profitability.
Among them, he mentioned the reduction of tariffs on inputs and machinery, the opening of international markets, and the decrease in export taxes. In this regard, he asserted that the official policy aims to eliminate historical restrictions: “our only job in all this is to take the boot off your neck as soon as possible.”
In another part of his speech, Milei reinforced the centrality of agriculture by stating that “the countryside is not just another sector of the economy. The countryside is, in the most literal sense, the origin of civilization,” and reiterated that “agriculture and livestock” constitute “the two great sources of national wealth.”
The president also referred to the impact of the elimination of currency controls, which he described as “the biggest theft the market has suffered,” and assured that its removal improved relative prices for producers. He indicated that “only due to the decrease in export taxes, the relationship between our prices in Rosario and those in Chicago improved by up to nineteen percent for corn and twelve percent for soybeans.”
President Javier Milei
He also emphasized that, despite the progress, the sector continues to operate under certain tax burdens. “The countryside broke all these records while still bearing the weight of export taxes,” he stated, adding: “in December 2023, they were completely tied up, and today we are on the path to fully liberate them.”
In his presentation, Milei highlighted figures regarding the recent performance of agriculture, noting that in 2025 a record harvest exceeding 164 million tons was achieved, with a 30% growth compared to the average of the last ten campaigns. He also mentioned that agro-industrial exports exceeded USD 52 billion and reached more than 150 international markets.
The President emphasized the sector's impact on employment, stating that “the agro-industrial sector accounts for nearly a quarter of formal employment in the entire country,” and listed various activities linked to the production chain. In this line, he stressed: “that’s why I also want to be clear: you are the protagonists of this change.”
Finally, Milei summarized his diagnosis of the sector's evolution during his administration by stating that “the transition is consolidating, and each new step the sector takes is faster than the previous one,” and concluded: “everything I just listed was achieved with one hand tied behind your back.”
