With the aim of expanding and securing new markets for Argentine beef, the Secretariat of Agriculture and the Secretariat of Trade of the Nation, with support from the Argentine Beef Promotion Institute (IPCVA), carried out an international mission from May 13 to 22, which included visits to Jakarta (Indonesia), Tokyo (Japan), and China (Shanghai and Beijing).   Visit to Indonesia   During the visit to Jakarta, the Public-Private Mission held a meeting at the Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia with the Vice Minister of Agriculture, Mr. Sudaryono. The meeting agenda focused on the opening of the Indonesian market to products from the Argentine beef sector, including bone-in and boneless meat, offal, genetics, and live cattle. A roadmap was agreed upon with Indonesian authorities to move this process forward.     Vice Minister of Agriculture Mr. Sudaryono, IPCVA President Georges Breitshmitt, and Undersecretary of AgriFood Markets Agustín Tejeda   The mission also held meetings with the state-owned import company Berdikari and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), where a gathering was held with private meat importers. During these meetings, Argentina expressed its interest in making concrete progress toward opening the Indonesian market for exports of bone-in and boneless beef, offal, genetics, and live cattle from Argentina.   The meetings also provided an opportunity to delve deeper into the characteristics of Indonesia’s demand for these products, the country’s import quota system, and the role of state-owned import companies and the private sector.

 

Meeting of the Public-Private Mission with Indonesian Importers at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN)

 

 

Finally, a meeting was held with the Halal Product Assurance Organizing Body (BPJPH), the agency responsible for approving certifying bodies in Argentina for the export of halal-certified products to Indonesia.

 

Visit to Japan

 

The negotiation agenda carried out by the Argentine government delegation during the mission to Japan included the opening of exports of Argentine beef from the foot-and-mouth disease-free zone with vaccination. Authorities from Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) stated that they had submitted the Risk Analysis Report for beef imports from Argentina to the Animal Health Subcommittee, which is expected to be reviewed in June.

 

As part of the mission, the IPCVA, together with representatives of Argentine beef exporters, held meetings with Japanese meat importing companies interested in the prospects of importing beef from Argentina.

 

Following these meetings, the IPCVA and the Argentine Embassy in Japan organized a beef tasting event with the participation of representatives from the foodservice sector, the press, and beef importers.

 

The event was attended by Japan’s Vice Minister for International Affairs at MAFF, Vice Minister Watanabe, who delivered opening remarks.

 

 

 

                   IPCVA President Georges Breitschmitt’s Remarks at the Beef Promotion Event in Japan

 

 

Remarks by Vice Minister Watanabe (MAFF) at the Argentine Beef Promotion Event at the Argentine Embassy in Japan

 

Visit to China

 

Authorities from the Ministry of Economy held a meeting with Mr. Wu Huanpin, Vice Minister of China’s General Administration of Customs (GACC), to continue negotiations on the approval of new Argentine products for the Chinese market.

 

The IPCVA had the opportunity to take part in a section of the meeting, where the current status and next steps for opening the Chinese market to Argentine beef offal, as well as the registration process to initiate bovine gallstone exports, were discussed. Significant progress was made on both products.

 

 

Next steps

 

China’s Customs Administration will visit Argentina on June 8 to move forward with the final approval of the protocol. This market opening is expected to bring tangible benefits to Argentine producers and meat processing facilities.

 

As part of the mission, the IPCVA joined a meeting with the importing company COFCO and, together with the Argentine Embassy in China, organized a beef promotion event at the Embassy in Beijing.

 

 

 

 

 

Cooperation Agreement with JD.com

 

Within the framework of SIAL China, held in Shanghai from May 19 to 21, the IPCVA signed a cooperation agreement with JD.com, one of China’s largest online retail platforms, with over 600 million users. This agreement marks a key step forward in promoting Argentine beef internationally, as it not only increases the visibility of the Argentine Beef brand within China’s most influential digital ecosystem but also opens new opportunities for direct engagement with end consumers.

 

These actions are essential for strengthening trade relations between Argentina and China in the beef sector, especially considering that this market not only benefits exports but also improves profitability across the entire value chain—particularly at the production level.