Exports to China totaled 20,493 tonnes of frozen boneless beef in May, valued at US$ 124.2 million. This represented an increase of 35.7% from April but was still 17.3% below the volume shipped in May last year. The average export price, which had already surpassed the previous record of US$/t 5,900 set in May 2022, reached a new all-time high of US$/t 6,060 in May 2026.
China also imported 14,515 tonnes of bone-in beef and deboning bones in May, worth US$ 43.4 million. Shipments were up 20.7% from April and 7.0% higher than a year earlier. The average price stood at US$/t 2,923, virtually unchanged from April but 47.5% above May 2025 levels.
In the first five months of 2026, China purchased 95,818 tonnes of frozen boneless beef from Argentina, down 6.8% from the same period last year. However, export revenue increased 21% to US$ 548.2 million, supported by an average price of US$/t 5,721.
During the same period, China imported 67,780 tonnes of bone-in beef and deboning bones worth US$ 179.4 million, increases of 4.6% in volume and 55.9% in value compared with January-May 2025. The average price reached US$/t 2,647, up 49.1% year-on-year.
China remained Argentina’s largest export destination, accounting for 60.1% of shipments in May and 60.5% of total exports during the first five months of the year. However, its share has steadily declined from 78.5% in 2023 to 73.8% in 2024 and 69.5% in 2025.
