(Photo: Officials from Buenos Aires Province Government visiting the Molino Cañuelas facilities)
Buenos Aires, January 3rd. During 2018, the Government authorized the export of 602,415 tons of wheat flour, a smaller volume than in 2017. Early in the year, it was expected that flour exports reached 800,000 metric tons, but the brutal currency depreciation, a higher inflation rate (above 40% over a year basis), a higher interest rate too, and the increase of the raw material in the domestic place in comparison with the international market were too many troubles for the milling industry.
According to the surveillance of the exports permissions given by Ag-Industry secretariat, made by RIA Consultores, ten milling industries accounted for 73% of total exports, over a total of 52 milling industries that exported wheat flour during last year.
Molino Cañuelas, the largest Argentine milling company (which acquired Cargill’s unit Trigalia) received licenses to export 227,643 tons or the 38% of the total national exports. The company is part of the Navilli Group, a traditional and familiar agribusiness group that cover from farming to food processing.
The second place was for Molino Lagomarsino, another familiar traditional company which runs 5 milling plants, mainly in Buenos Aires province. The company received licenses to export 64.233 tons during last year.
Other four milling companies received between 22,000 and 29,000 tons in exporting licenses. They were Molino Semino (a company founded in 1865 in Santa Fe Province), Molino Florencia (in Córdoba Province), Pampa Blanca (in the north of the country) and Molino Chabás in Santa Fe Province.
The other four that completes the Top Ten were mainly placed in Buenos Aires Province (the major wheat producer Province) and they exported between 12,000 and 15,500 wheat flour tons. Molinos Chacabuco, Molino Cabodi (one of the oldest milling companies in the country) and Molinos Tassara are placed in this province and they exported a total of 41,676 tons.
Another milling company placed in Salta Province, nearby the Bolivian market, completes the Top Ten.
