“With a couple of clicks”: Federico Sturzenegger told why Argentina managed to keep a large part of the quota to export honey without tariffs to the European Union

Through an extensive message published on the X social network, the official explained that the key was in a digital self-certification system promoted by the Secretary of Production Coordination, Pablo Lavigne, which allowed Argentine companies to quickly access commercial benefits as soon as the new scheme agreed between Mercosur and the European Union came into effect.

THE UNKNOWN STORY OF HOW ARGENTINE PRODUCERS KEPT A LARGE PART OF THE EUROPEAN UNION’S NON-TARIFF HONEY QUOTA. Maybe you heard the story. The agreement with the European Union (EU) that he managed to close began to take effect @pabloquirno and that offers access places… pic.twitter.com/yFu9eOmxgi

— Fede Sturzenegger (@fedesturze) May 17, 2026

“While the Uruguayan, Brazilian and Paraguayan producers continued running with the papers from one place to the other with the cameras, our producers already had everything figured outthey presented and took the fee,” Sturzenegger stated in his publication.

The minister explained that the self-certification system of origin was accepted by the European Union, through which companies themselves can declare under oath the origin of the merchandise to access tariff benefits. Although the treaty granted up to three years to implement this mechanism, Argentina decided to bring it forward and enable a completely digital procedure from day one.

According to Sturzenegger, this tool allowed Argentine exporters to manage “with a couple of clicks” the certification validated by the national State, avoiding administrative delays and facilitating immediate access to the preferential quota.

Sturzenegger also stressed that the result did not respond only to the administrative changes promoted by the Government, but also to the speed of reaction of the Argentine private sector. “Obviously, the capacity and speed of our producers was also key. Bravo, very brave,” said the minister, highlighting the speed with which local companies took advantage of the opening of the preferential quota to carry out operations towards Europe.

In that sense, the official once again defended the deregulation policy promoted by Javier Milei’s administration. According to him, the removal of different procedures and certifications from the INTI’s orbit made it possible for the private sector to operate “with the speed demanded by the market and not with the indolent times of bureaucracy.” For Sturzenegger, the honey case reflects “the need to remove the State from all possible procedures” and concentrate official intervention only on essential controls.

The speed with which the quota was exhausted generated questions from exporters from Uruguay and Paraguay, who criticized the allocation system because they considered that it ended up mainly benefiting operations carried out from Argentina and Brazil.

The mechanism contemplates an initial volume of 7,500 tons free of the historical tariff of 17.3%, although for this year the effective quota is lower because it is applied only between May and December. Anyway, for this year 5,000 tons were enabled, distributed by quarters. The first tranche, corresponding to the May-June period, included 1,400 tons and was completely used in just a few days.

The current scheme works under the FIFO criterion (First In, First Out), that is, “first in, first out”, while the Mercosur countries continue negotiating a definitive distribution of quotas between countries.

The system will reopen on July 1 with a new tranche of 1,800 tonnes for the July-September period, while another 1,800 tonnes will be available between October and December.

The agreement also provides for a gradual expansion of the tariff-free volume: in 2027 the quota will rise to 15,000 tons per year and will continue to grow progressively until reaching 45,000 tons in 2031.

One of the first Argentine shipments made under this new scheme was carried out by the company Apícola Danangie, which exported 22 tons of honey to Germany without paying tariffs, in what the sector considered a historic event for the activity.

Argentina produces on average about 80,000 tons of honey per year and exports about 95% of its production, consolidating itself as one of the main global players in the beekeeping market. The activity is present in 22 provinces, it has more than 4 million registered hives and around 1,200 enabled extraction rooms. The province of Buenos Aires concentrates 44% of national production.