The Secretariat of Agriculture reported that citrus (sweet and sour) exports recorded the highest growth in the amount exported in the last five years during the first eight months of 2025. In total, more than 408 million dollars were exceeded for about 366 thousand tons. This represents an increase of 27% in the amount and 21% in the volume compared to the year 2024.
Within this complex, fresh lemon remains the main driver, with 140 million dollars and a growth of 43% in the exported amount. It is followed by lemon juice, which added 87 million dollars, with a growth of 14%.
But the most striking phenomenon occurred in the orange, which seems to be recovering ground. Orange juice had external sales of 32 million dollars, with a notable growth of 97%, while fresh orange added 24 million dollars, with an increase of 64%.
Essential Oils
A key point of the sector are essential oils, products that Argentina exports with the highest value per ton:
These oils are essential inputs, used both in the food industry (such as in the production of beverages) and in the cosmetic industry.
The Keys to Growth
From the Government, they emphasize that these results are the result of the joint effort of producers and industrialists, accompanied by a series of measures promoted by the current administration to strengthen export development.
Among them, the opening of new markets stands out, such as Ecuador, for both sour and sweet citrus, and that of lemons for Chile. On the regulatory front, progress was made in simplifying regulations to incentivize production, eliminating harvest authorization permits and allowing each producer to freely choose when to harvest.
Simplification
Furthermore, requirements for packaging were simplified, eliminating regulations that generated additional costs. There was also a reduction in import tariffs for strategic inputs and capital goods used by the agroindustry.
Another advance was the digitization and automation of procedures: the registration of establishments (for packing, storage, conditioning and processing of fruits and other vegetables) will be done once, digitally and automatically, which aims for more efficient and transparent management for operators.
