Javier Milei's Argentina recorded a strong trade surplus during August, mainly driven by the growth of exports, thus achieving 33 consecutive months with a positive balance in goods exchange.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INDEC), exports reached USD 8.883 billion, while imports totaled USD 6.696 billion. As a result, the trade balance left a surplus of USD 2.187 billion, USD 746 million higher than recorded in August 2025.
Argentina experiences an export boom under Milei's management
Argentinian sales abroad grew 12.4% year-on-year, although the increase was explained by a 16% rise in prices, while the quantities exported decreased by 3.1%. Meanwhile, imports increased by 3.6%, also due to price effects, which rose by 11%, while the volumes acquired fell by 6.5%.
Among the main drivers of exports, fuels and energy stood out, reaching USD 1.494 billion and growing 41.2% compared to the same month last year. Industrial origin manufactures totaled USD 2.356 billion, with an 18% improvement, while agricultural manufactures reached USD 3.301 billion and advanced 16.7%. Primary products were the exception, with a decline of 14.2%.
In terms of products, flour and pellets derived from soybean oil led exports with USD 988 million, followed by crude petroleum oils, with USD 903 million, and corn in grain, with USD 768 million.
Agro-industrial exports reached a historic record in the first seven months of 2026
The result also consolidated the strong performance accumulated during 2026. Between January and August, exports totaled USD 67.248 billion, a year-on-year growth of 21.4%, while imports amounted to USD 48.999 billion and decreased by 2.6%. Thus, the country accumulated a trade surplus of USD 18.249 billion in just eight months.
In the energy sector, one of the fastest-growing sectors in recent years, the balance of mineral fuels reached USD 6.576 billion between January and August, compared to USD 3.812 billion during the same period in 2025. Exports from the sector grew by 47.7%, mainly driven by the strong increase in crude oil shipments.
