ARGENTINA · TRADE
Key Facts
- —The country Argentina is one of South America’s largest agricultural exporters, with a wool sector centred on Patagonia and the Pampas.
- —What happened Wool exports rose 28% by volume and 66% by value in the 2025/26 commercial season, which ran from July 2025 through June 2026.
- —Who is who Argentina’s Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries published the figures; El Litoral and Agrositio reported them on 3 October 2026.
- —The numbers Shipments reached 39,730 tonnes on a greasy-wool basis, generating US$189.6 million, up from 31,088 tonnes and US$114.3 million in 2024/25.
- —What it means for you US-based buyers of wool and textile inputs face a supplier that is regaining ground, and Argentina earns more hard currency from a small but fast-moving export line.
- —Still open The official release does not say how much of the value gain came from prices, product mix or exchange rates.
Argentina’s wool exports grew 28% by volume and 66% by value in the 2025/26 commercial season, which ran from July 2025 to June 2026. Shipments reached 39,730 tonnes (greasy-wool basis) and earned US$189.6 million, according to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. For a small export line, that is a sharp rebound in one year.
Wool is a niche product next to Argentina’s soy and beef. Still, it matters for Patagonia’s sheep farms and for foreign buyers in China and the European Union. It is also an early sign of how much Argentine producers can earn in dollars when global demand firms.
What the full-season figures show
The 2024/25 season had delivered 31,088 tonnes and US$114.3 million. The new season therefore added 8,642 tonnes and US$75.3 million. El Litoral, an Argentine regional newspaper, published the full-season figures on 3 October 2026, citing the Secretariat.
Value grew more than twice as fast as volume. An RT calculation from the official totals puts the average export value at about US$4,770 per tonne in 2025/26, against about US$3,680 a year earlier, a rise of roughly 30%. That is a blended figure for several wool products, so it is a guide and not a price quote.
Against 2023/24, the picture is stronger. Volume rose 69% and foreign-currency earnings rose 101.4%, according to the Secretariat. Put simply, the sector has roughly doubled its dollar income in two seasons.
One data note helps anyone tracking the series. A June 2026 release covered July to April only, with 31,825 tonnes and US$149.5 million, up 23.5% and 57%. The full-season totals above include two more months and replace those partial figures.
China and the EU lead demand
China and the European Union are the main buyers. China leads in greasy (unwashed) wool, while the EU leads in combed wool, known in the trade as tops, which is processed further.
In the July to April data, China’s share of export value rose from 23% to 33%. The Secretariat linked April’s 70% yearly increase to demand for Argentine wool that filled a gap left by lower production, mainly in Australia, a much larger wool exporter.
The official release does not give a destination table for the full season. How much of the gain came from China, and how much from the EU, is therefore not yet public in detail.
Momentum carries into 2026/27
The new season started strongly. In July and August 2026, Argentina exported 6,901 tonnes of wool (greasy basis), up 39% on a year earlier, worth US$37.4 million, up 103%.
The same RT arithmetic implies roughly US$5,400 per tonne for those two months, up from about US$3,700 a year earlier. Two months is a short window, and one strong quarter does not make a trend.
What it means for you
For US investors, the story is mostly about Argentina’s dollar earnings. Wool brings in far less than grains or beef, but more export revenue helps the country’s hard-currency position at a time when foreign exchange is closely watched. For US importers of textile inputs, a supplier regaining ground adds one more source outside Australia. For travellers and expats in Patagonia, wool towns and estancias are where the gains show up first.
Readers following the wider farm-export story can compare it with Argentina’s beef exports in the first half of the year and with the jump in beef shipments linked to the US quota. More coverage is on the Argentina hub.
What is not known
The official data do not separate price gains from changes in product mix or currency effects. They also do not say how long Australian supply will stay tight, which helped Argentine sellers earlier this year.
Critics say the sector’s long decline is not reversed by one good season. Later monthly export figures will show whether the jump holds.
How much did Argentina’s wool exports grow in 2025/26?
Exports rose 28% by volume and 66% by value, reaching 39,730 tonnes and US$189.6 million, according to the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
Which countries buy the most Argentine wool?
China and the European Union are the main destinations. China leads in greasy wool and the EU in combed wool.
Is the recovery continuing into the new season?
So far, yes. Exports in July and August 2026 rose 39% by volume and 103% by value against the same months a year earlier, to 6,901 tonnes and US$37.4 million.
Why did China buy more Argentine wool?
The Secretariat tied strong demand to lower production mainly in Australia. China’s share of Argentine wool export value rose from 23% to 33% in the July to April period.
How does this compare with two seasons ago?
Against 2023/24, volume is up 69% and dollar earnings are up 101.4%.
Sources: El Litoral, Agrositio, Argentine Secretariat of Agriculture (July to April release, 16 June 2026). Per-tonne values are RT calculations from the official totals. Retrieved 4 October 2026.
Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief · Editorial standards · Report an error