Ballot in Brazil: Why is it key from Arcor to Despegar and from Mercado Libre to Techint?

There are 195 countries in the world, and Brazil is one of the scarce eight that have a surplus in their relations with China and also one of the few with a deficit in their trade balance with the United States. Quite a rarity.

Brazil elects its future president this Sunday in a ballot that is anticipated to be very close, an election that is closely followed by Mercado Libre, which receives 50% of its income from the neighboring country. Also by Techint, which last year expanded its participation in the giant Usiminas.

Arcor has been growing in Brazil since 1981 and has five industrial plants. Despegar, the unicorn founded by Roberto Souviron, operates there under the name Decolar and from here Brazil represents 80% of its destinations.

In the agricultural business, the Don Mario group found its main engine of commercial expansion in Brazil and has already concentrates 80% of the soybean seed market. The same thing happens with Adecoagro, which bought the Caarapó mill this year for US$ 148 million and is expanding into ethanol, sugar and renewable energy in about 200,000 hectares.

Another case is that of Sinteplast of the Rodríguez family, which has three plants, in Rio, San Pablo and Curitiba and has just disbursed US$ 4.5 million to expand the capacity of two of these factories and get strong in the powder paint.

As Dante Sica, from abeceb, points out, Brazil is our main trading partner, where exports go and where imports come from. According to Sica, the opportunities are immense, starting from the supply of gas from Vaca Muerta. “There is a lot to gain if access conditions are improved, such as product certifications that take months or regulations. For example, Brazil has multiplied its agricultural frontier by five but Argentina finds it difficult to export its machinery, given that it requires it to be installed in its territory.”

Currently political relations between the two partners are at a stalemate. But Marcelo Elizondo points out that so far in 2026, Argentine shipments have grown 5% and totaled US$10 billion from January to September, 4.5% more than in the same period of 2025.

“Milei’s elimination of obstacles helps, including the end of the exchange rate gap that especially drives exporting SMEs,” says the consultant.

Daniel Scioli knows what political tension means, because he experienced it when he was ambassador during the time of Alberto Fernández-Eduardo Bolsonaro. He inaugurated chess diplomacy and business flowed. Some of that is currently happening but “if there is a coincidence a boom could be unleashed.”“, points out Scioli a Clarion.

By the way, with the fall in consumption in Argentina, what was a significant deficit for our trade balance was reduced 56.6% between January and September, always compared to 2025. Imports collapsed 17% in that period.

According to data from the Chamber of Exporters, The automotive sector concentrated 42% of external sales from Argentina to Brazil. They are followed by chemicals and plastics with 9% and the wheat chain with 8%.

Regardless of who wins the runoff, a businessman with business in Brazil who requested anonymity, stated that the most important thing for Argentina is for the Brazilian economy to rebound again after the current stagnation.

He affirmed that there are State policies that are difficult to replace in the neighbor and partner. Among them, the help they give to the internationalization of their companies with lax credits and other incentives for them to develop abroad. And, of course, the immovable and iron relationship with China. Here are some data: of every 2 dollars that Brazil exports, 1 goes to Asia, of every 100 dollars that Brazil exports, 32 go to China. Brazil sells them for US$140 billion a year.