Argentina: Special export tax rate hasn’t increased farmer selling of barley so far, analysts say

So far the Argentina government extension of the special export tax rate for barley and wheat (9.5%) until March 2026 has not increased farmer selling, that could be more a case of farmers being focused on corn and soy harvest, RMI Analytics said in their early June report.

As barley planted progresses under good conditions, the pace of farmer selling could very quickly increase. There is buying interest in the market for feed and FAQ barley (i.e. China), with recent trades reported. There is also open demand making inquiries for malting barley for Brazil and possibly Colombia. India has also indicated a potential need for malting barley.

Barley prices have declined slightly on a FOB basis for both malting and feed barley, with prices indicated more at the sellers’ level, and buyers’ interest lying USD5-10/tonne lower.

For farmer FAS prices, malting barley is up USD5/tonne, within a range between USD210-220 while the feed barley price is unchanged - both with limited activity at present. The Peso/USD exchange rate is stable, and inflation continues to drift lower.