During 2017 Argentina’s Agroindustry Ministry approved the export of 86.542 tons of peas and 166.535 tones of chickpeas. The country runs a registration system where the companies apply for a license to export its grains.
The largest chickpeas exporter was Desdelsur SA, with 24.000 tons approved to export or 14% of the national exports. Based in Salta province, the company was established in 1987 by José Macera (photo), a former Grain National Board executive. In the present, Desdelsur runs 28.000 hectares of crop production and operates a pulse processing facility in Tartagal (North of Argentina) and warehouse in the port of Zarate (Buenos Aires province).
With 10.800 tons, the second largest chickpeas exporter was Agronegocios Jewell, a company owned by Roagro Group, based in Santa Fe province and with facilities in Córdoba and Santa Fe. The company is also developing the organic market for specialties.
The third place was for Cono Agropecuaria SA, a firm based in Córdoba Province, which operates the specialties market, trading chickpeas, mung beans, chia, quinoa and other pulses. Cono SA received permissions to export 10.500 tons of chickpeas last year or 6% of national exports.
In the case of peas (Argentina mostly produces green peas instead yellow peas) the first exporter was Agricultores Federados Argentinos (AFA), a cooperative group owned by 36.000 farmers. AFA has a pulses processing facility in Rueda (Santa Fe province) from where supply the export markets, mainly Brazil.
The second exporter was Ronalb SRL, a family company based in Santa Fe province too, who accessed to a 8.100 tons quota export. The company was founded by Rogelio Renzone and his wife; in the beginnings of ’90 developed the export business.
But one of the rising players in the Argentinean pulses market is Grobo Group, which is developing a chain supply of chickpeas, lentils and peas by contracts with farmers. Santiago Novelli, manager of Business Development said that Argentina is changing from a regional supplier (Brazil, Chile, Mexico) to a global player. “We (the country) are arriving some later, but the opportunity is enormous. Argentina has a big potential to crop pulses in quantity and quality and feed the world”, saide the executive to this site.
According to INDEC (National Institute of Statistics and Census) during 2017 Argentina exported 166.000 tons of chickpeas to a total of 177 million dollars. The largest importers were Turkey and Pakistan.
In the same period the country exported 85.600 tons of peas for U$S27 millions. The largest destinations were Brazil, Senegal and India.
